It’s not easy to stay on the culinary bliss train week after week. Quarantine cuisine, eaten at the same table day after day with the same cast of characters, can be challenging. But delicious dishes can be a real bright spot in a day filled with questions. And slow cookers can be a convenient blessing, whether using an old-school version or a newfangled Instant Pot.
Long, slow cooking often has the advantage of one-step preparation, but generally a preliminary sauté of vegetables (often onions), meat and bacon is needed in a secondary pan. If using an Instant Pot, this can be accomplished in the gizmo using the sauté setting. (Note, there are exceptions — check out the delicious recipe for Chile Verde — it will take some time to prep the ingredients.)
A wide variety of dishes can be delicious cooked low and slow, including one pot meals such as casseroles, soups, and stews. Tougher cuts of meat cook to fork-tender pleasure using the slow cooker.
For decades one of my “emergency meals” when prep time was tight has been an easy non-traditional carnitas dish to use as a taco filling
Start by trimming excess fat from a 3- to 4-pound pork roast (blade or shoulder). Put it in the slow cooker along with 1 cup green chili salsa (salsa verde) and 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt. Slow cook covered on low setting for 8 to 9 hours. Drain off fat, remove bones and tear meat into shreds with two forks. Taste and add salt and/or freshly ground black pepper if needed.
Provide warm corn or flour tortillas, plus the garnishes that you prefer: shredded lettuce, chopped (or cut into wedges) tomatoes, sliced green or red onions, shredded cheeses, diced avocado, sliced black olives, sliced radishes, sour cream and cooked black beans. Plus, of course, additional green salsa or pico de gallo, hot sauce and/or guacamole.
I put all the trimmings out on the counter on cutting boards (for easy cleanup) and let everyone build their own tacos. So simple, so delicious.
Slow Cooker Beans with Pancetta, Olives and Herbs
In the past, I’ve made this dish with dried cannellini beans, an obvious choice for a dish with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients. But during the pandemic, some ingredients are scarce. Dried cannellini seem to be on that hard-to-find grocery list. After a fruitless search, I substituted dried pinto beans, an ingredient that was easy to find. I was happy with the substitution.
Pinto beans have a creamy texture as do cannellini beans, and they take on the flavors of other tasty ingredients in this dish. They absorb the sweetness and aroma of the slow-cooked shallots and herbs, as well the alluring flavor pop lent by pancetta. Pancetta, sometimes referred to as “Italian bacon,” is cured (not smoked) pork belly that is seasoned with salt, black pepper and other spices. If you can’t find it, substitute bacon and when you season at the end of cooking, add a little seasoned salt, such as Spike Original.
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 pound dried cannellini beans or dried pinto beans
4 ounces coarsely chopped pancetta
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 shallots, peeled, halved lengthwise
3 medium-size carrots, peeled, cut crosswise into 3 to 4 pieces (if bottom portion is very thick, cut in half lengthwise)
4 celery stalks, trimmed, cut crosswise into 4 pieces
2 bay leaves
2 good-sized sprigs of fresh thyme
32 ounces canned chicken broth, plus more as needed, see cook’s notes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
6 to 8 ounces chilled fresh (log-style) goat cheese, crumbled (substitute feta or Cotija if you like)
2/3 cup sliced pitted Kalamata olives, drained
Cook’s notes: You may need a lot more broth. It depends on the configuration of your slow cooker. When I used my old slow cooker that is smallish and the perimeter of the vessel is round, I only need 32 ounces of broth. When I use my much larger slow cooker that has an oval-shaped vessel, I need much more broth to cover the beans. The broth turns out to have a delicious flavor, so if I end up with more, the finished dish is soupier. That’s not a complaint.
PROCEDURE
1. Do ahead: Spread beans on a colored towel and remove any debris, such as small stones or damaged beans (all dried bean recipes used to start this way, but I admit that I haven’t ferreted out any “debris” in years, just saying). Put beans in pan and cover with cold water, using enough water to come 3 inches above the beans. Soak for 6 to 12 hours; drain.
2. In a large, deep skillet on medium-high heat, cook the pancetta in the olive oil, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Add shallots, carrot, and celery; cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to soften. Transfer entire mixture to slow cooker; add beans, bay leaves and thyme. Add broth and enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Cover and cook on High for 4 1/2 hours. The beans need to be covered with liquid at all times to cook properly (don’t worry if some beans float to the top of the broth during cooking — as they cook, they will sink). Toward the end of cooking, season with salt and pepper. When done, the beans will be tender and hold their shape, rather than fall apart. Remove bay leaves and herb sprig; discard. Stir in parsley.
3. Serve beans in shallow soup bowls along with a small portion of broth; top with crumbled goat cheese and sliced olives.
Slow Cooker Short Ribs Braised in Spicy Black Bean Sauce
Here’s a simple slow cooker recipe for Asian-style short ribs to serve with stir-fried Asian greens or rice — or both. If you like, add a good pinch of five-spice powder to the black-bean mixture; if you don’t have any, don’t worry — it is delicious without it. Five-spice powder is a combination of ground cinnamon, fennel seed, cloves, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns.
If you have any leftovers, make a quick soup. Heat beef broth with some sliced carrots and diced onion. When the vegetables are tender, add the leftover greens, meat and sauce (if any). Season to taste with a little hot sauce. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Yield: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
4 pounds beef short ribs
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
3 tablespoons black bean sauce with garlic, see cook’s notes
2 tablespoons sake or vodka
1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
2 green onions, trimmed, thinly sliced
Cook’s notes: Black bean sauce with garlic is a prepared sauce that comes in a jar. It is sold in Asian markets or in many supermarket Asian specialty sections.
PROCEDURE
1. Position broiler rack 6- to 7-inches from broiler element. Broil ribs on both sides, turning once, until well browned, about 10 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Separate ribs if in strips. Place in slow cooker.
2. In bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except green onion. Spoon over short ribs and toss to combine. Cover and cook on low setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high setting for 5 to 6 hours, or until meat is tender and falling off the bone.
3. Serve ribs and sauce over cooked rice or sautéed Asian mustard greens. Garnish with finely chopped green onions.
Source: adapted from “Delicious & Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes” by Judith Finlayson (Rose, $22.95)
Chile Verde (Pork in Green Chili Salsa)
This Chile Verde recipe is from Chef Deborah Schneider’s bestselling cookbook, “The Mexican Slow Cooker” (Ten Speed Press, $19.99). Chile Verde takes its name from three types of green chiles, which are combined with green tomatillosto make an olive-green sauce with a gently tart and spicy edge. Never overpowering, it’s a perfect matchfor the richness of the pork.
For frying the pork, Schneider uses fresh(liquid) lard, called asiento, which she buys at Mexican markets. I asked her about using vegetable oil instead and she gave her approval but said it wouldn’t have the same depth of flavor. She said not to use olive oil. All the ingredients go into the slow cooker hot, so the dish cooks in about2 hours. If you prefer, the recipe is excellent made with pork chops instead of diced pork. Serve it withrice, beans, and warm corn tortillas.
Yield: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 whole clove
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
10 tomatillos (about 12 ounces total), huskedand washed
2 (fresh) jalapeño chilies, stemmed (use Serrano chilies if you like it spicier)
8 (fresh) Anaheim chilies, roasted, seeded,and diced, see cook’s notes
4 large cloves garlic
21/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh lard or vegetable oil
2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into3/4-inch cubes
2 large (fresh) poblano chilies, roasted,seeded, and diced, see cook’s notes
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1 cup water, Caldo de Pollo or diluted canned sodium-reduced chicken broth (1/2 cup canned broth mixed with 1/2 cup water)
1 dried bay leaf
Garnish: Mexican crema or sour cream
Cook’s notes: To roast chilies place on rimmed baking sheet about 6 inches below broiler element. Broil until charred, turning after top portion blisters and chars, to char opposite side. Cautiously wrap charred chilies in paper towels to cool. Cut in half and remove seeds and stem. Rub off charred skin with your fingers.
As for the grinding required in Step #1, I have an inexpensive coffee grinder that I use exclusively to grind spices. It works like a charm.
PROCEDURE
1. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast thecumin, clove, and peppercorns until fragrant,stirring frequently so they don’t burn. Let coolcompletely and grind in a spice grinder (see cook’s notes).
2. Place the tomatillos and jalapeños in a smallsaucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to aboil and simmer 5 minutes, or until barely soft.Drain immediately and place in a food processoralong with the Anaheim chiles, garlic, and salt.Pulse until smooth.
3. Heat the lard (or oil) in a large skillet over medium-highheat and, working in batches, brown thepork on one side without stirring the meat, thenturn and brown on the other side. Return all thepork to the skillet and add the poblanos andonion and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft,about 5 minutes. Add the ground spices and cook,stirring, for an additional 2 minutes, until thespices are fragrant. Transfer the pork mixture toa 5-quart slow cooker.
4. Return the skillet to the stove and reduce heat to medium. Add thecontents of the food processor to the pan and cook,stirring, until the salsa is thick and begins to stickto the pan. Add the water and bay leaf to the panand simmer, stirring once or twice, for 5 minutes.Stir into the pork in the slow cooker, cover, andcook on low 2 hours, or until the pork is tender.Serve hot with a bowl of Mexican crema or sour cream alongside.
Have a cooking question?Contact Cathy Thomas at cathythomascooks@gmail. com
