Slow Cooking: Easy Slow Cooker Recipes. Katie Bishop
edges. Place the tin on top of the trivet, saucer or foil in the slow cooker and pour in enough cold water around the outside to just cover the trivet. Cover with the lid and cook on low overnight or for up to 9 hours until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Remove the tin from the slow cooker and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before turning out, blackberries uppermost, onto a serving plate.
Slow-roasted tomatoes on toast
PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 6–9 HOURS
SERVES 4
VEGETARIAN
Slowly cooking tomatoes with salt slightly dehydrates them and concentrates their flavour. So if you start with good-quality, great-tasting plum tomatoes and cook them overnight in the slow cooker with salt, they’ll taste even better. They are lovely served on toast or as an accompaniment to a full cooked breakfast.
8 plum tomatoes
A large pinch of sea salt
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Using a sharp knife, cut the tomatoes in half and place them cut side down in a single layer in the slow cooker dish.
Sprinkle over the salt, sugar and vinegar. Cover with the lid and cook on low overnight or for up to 9 hours.
Using a spatula, remove the tomatoes from the slow cooker dish and serve on hot buttered toast.
WHAT ABOUT…
if you want to use the oven? Place the ingredients in a roasting tin and cook in an oven preheated to 110°C (225°F), Gas mark 1/4 overnight or for up to 9 hours until the tomatoes are softened and starting to dry out slightly.
Mixed mushrooms on toast
PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 6–9 HOURS
SERVES 4
VEGETARIAN
While you could certainly fry these ingredients together quickly and create a very tasty dish, slow cooking them encourages the mushrooms to gradually absorb the flavours of the other ingredients, giving them greater intensity and making them utterly more-ish!
500g (1lb 2oz) mixed mushrooms, such as button, cup or portobello, cut into large wedges or thickly sliced
50g (2oz) chilled butter, cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (preferably unwaxed)
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh parsley
Place the mushrooms in a heatproof bowl just large enough to hold them and make sure the bowl fits into your slow cooker dish. Add the butter, olive oil, 1 tsp salt and the lemon zest and juice and, using your hands, mix everything together well.
Place the bowl in the slow cooker dish and pour in enough cold water around the outside to come about one-third of the way up the sides of the bowl. Cover with the lid and cook on low overnight or for up to 9 hours.
Stir well and add the parsley, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon onto hot buttered toast or English muffins and sprinkle with more parsley to garnish. Great topped with a poached egg.
TRY…
using any leftover mushrooms in salads or to make a fantastically flavoursome risotto.
Home-made baked beans
PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES, PLUS SOAKING
COOKING TIME: 6–9 HOURS
SERVES 4 WITH TOAST
VEGETARIAN
You could open a can of course, but this home-made version will leave you wondering why you did! Slow cooking creates an intense depth of flavour and sweetness in this dish, making it taste rich, wholesome and satisfying.
150g (5oz) dried haricot beans
1 x 400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp golden caster sugar
300ml (10fl oz) cold water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the beans in a bowl and cover completely with cold water. Leave to soak for at least 6–10 hours. Drain and rinse thoroughly and place in the slow cooker dish.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato ketchup and sugar, then mix in the cold water. Don’t be tempted to season the beans at this point, as the salt will toughen them as they cook.
Cover with the lid and cook on low overnight or for at least 8–9 hours until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve spooned over thick hot buttered toast.
TRY…
making this dish with butter beans instead.
Breakfast omelette
PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 6–9 HOURS
SERVES 6
This recipe caters for a larger number, so making breakfast for a crowd is a doddle.
50g (2oz) butter, diced and softened
650g (1lb 7oz) potatoes, such as King Edward or Maris Piper, unpeeled and diced into 1cm (1/2in) cubes
12 rashers smoked back bacon, diced
1 onion, peeled and diced
12 eggs
250ml (9fl oz) skimmed milk
1/2 tsp mustard powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Butter the inside of the slow cooker dish very thoroughly with about one-third of the butter, then arrange a layer of the diced potatoes in the base of the dish.
Working quickly so that the potatoes don’t have a chance to turn brown, cover the potatoes with a layer of bacon and a layer of onion.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and mustard powder together. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour the mixture into the slow cooker dish. Dot the remaining butter over the top.
Cover with the lid and cook on low overnight or for up to 9 hours until set in the centre.
Remove