Slow Cooker Ready & Waiting Cookbook: 160 Sumptuous Meals That Cook Themselves by Rick Rodgers

From the Publisher

Hearty stews. Rib-sticking chilis. Tender pot roasts. The real secret is a long, slow simmer at a constant temperature, and no appliance does this better than the slow cooker. If your old slow cooker recipes disappointed you, throw them away! The Slow Cooker Ready and Waiting Cookbook is for people who love good food!

Rick Rodgers has adapted an eclectic array of American and ethnic dishes for the slow cooker. They're all here: fancy fare (Farmer's Market Lobster and Corn Chowder, Sweet and Sour Brisket, Erna's Sauerbraten), everyday favorites (Ground Beef Chili with Cornmeal Dumplings and Herbed Tomato Sauce with Parmesan Meatballs), side dishes (Potatoes Euphoria, Smothered Green Beans, Sugarbush Beans) — even desserts (Strawberry-Strawberry Cheesecake, Bourbon Bread Pudding, and Lemon-Raspberry Pudding Cake). Ideal for entertaining, the slow cooker keeps crowd-pleasing dips and holiday punches warm from the beginning of the party to when the last guest leaves.

A special section explains how to choose the right-size slow cooker for your needs, how to adapt a favorite recipe, and what can (and can't) be prepared in a slow cooker.

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Basque Chicken and Rice Casserole

Chicken, ham, and rice is a popular combination in Spain. In fact, with the addition of shellfish and peas, this could be paella (see below). Be sure to use converted long-grain rice, as regular rice will slow-cook into a mushy mess. For a winning meal-in-a-pot, this casserole can't be beat.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 3 1/2 -pound frying chicken, cut up into 10 pieces
Juice of 1 lemon
5 ounces smoked ham, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups water
1 3/4 cups double-strength chicken broth, canned or homemade
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
1/8 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
2 cups converted long-grain rice

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces skin side down, in batches without crowding, and cook until the skin is brown, about 3 minutes. (Do not turn the chicken.) Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.

2. Add the ham, onion, red bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled 3 1/2-quart slow cooker.

3. Stir in the water, chicken broth, oregano, salt, saffron, and crushed red pepper. Stir in the rice. Stack the chicken in the slowcooker, dark meat first, then the breast pieces on top. Cover and slow-cook until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 6 hours on low (200 degrees F). Serve directly from the slow cooker.

Slow-Cooked Paella: During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in 1 cup defrosted petite peas and 1/2 pound shelled medium shrimp. Cover and continue slow-cooking until the shrimp have turned pink and firm.

Serves 4 to 6

Lemon-Raspberry Pudding Cake

This pudding cake makes its own lemony sauce, so the dessert needs no adornment other than a simple sprinkling of confectioners sugar.

1/2 pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Confectioners' sugar

1. Spread the raspberries over the bottom of a 1 1/2 -quart soufflé dish.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and flour to combine. Add the milk, egg yolks, lemon zest and juice, and the melted butter, and whisk just until combined.

3. In a grease-free, medium bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer set at low speed, beat the egg whites until foamy. Increase the speed to high and beat just until stiff peaks form. Fold the whites into the lemon mixture. Pour into the soufflé dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

4. Place a collapsible vegetable steamer or slow-cooker meat rack in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker. Place the soufflé dish on the steamer or rack. Pour in enough hot water to come 1 inch up the side of the dish. Cover and slow-cook on high (300 degrees F) until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed, about 2 hours.

5. Sift confectioners' sugar over the top of the cake to garnish. Serve the pudding warm, spooned into individual bowls.

Makes 4 servings