Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker - Lynn Alley [27]
Serve by carefully spooning a generous portion of the quiche out of the slow cooker insert and onto plates or shallow bowls.
Variation: For a nontraditional “americanized” crust, try spreading a cup or two of grated potatoes evenly over the bottom of a well-oiled or buttered slow cooker insert, then proceeding with the recipe above.
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: An Alsatian Pinot Gris or other nice light, dry white wine would be nice. I think I’d just as well enjoy a sparkling wine, Prosecco, or champagne, too.
UNCLE BOB’S GREEN LENTIL SALAD
Serves 6 to 8
My uncle Bob, an artist and a designer, has lived in Paris most of his adult life. The last time I visited him, he took me to a small, favorite bistro near his atelier in the 14th arrondissement. We began our meal with a simple, cold green lentil salad, a popular appetizer all over France.
2 cups dried French green lentils
Water
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 clove garlic
½ onion, finely chopped
Rinse the lentils thoroughly, being sure to remove any small stones or dirt. Place them in the slow cooker insert along with water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and cook on low for about 2 hours, or until the lentils are tender but still have texture. They should be al dente, so do not overcook them or they will turn to mush. Drain the lentils.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar, and add salt and pepper to taste. Press the garlic into the dressing and mix thoroughly.
Mix the dressing thoroughly into the lentils while they are still warm, then top with the finely chopped onion.
Serve at room temperature.
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: I think I would enjoy a lively Pinot Noir with this dish (or all by itself, for that matter).
STEAMED ARTICHOKES
Serves 2 to 3
“What’s the advantage to cooking artichokes in a slow cooker?” you might ask. The answer is that while the artichokes are cooking, you’ve bought yourself a big chunk of time to do other things while the chokes cook completely unattended. If you are like me, you may get no further than pulling the chokes out of the pot with tongs and sitting down to them with a nice serving of homemade garlic-tarragon mayo. But I’ve given a few other suggestions in case you get bored.
3 medium or 2 large artichokes (or however many will fit in the insert of your slow cooker)
4 cups water
Stuffing (optional)
4 slices country bread, dried out
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Roma tomato, minced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Garlic-Tarragon Mayo
1 tablespoon white wine, sherry, or apple cider vinegar
1 egg
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 or more cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with a knife
1½ cups vegetable oil
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Trim the stems off the artichokes and strip off any extra leaves. Using a very sharp knife, carefully cut off a generous one-third at the top of each artichoke. This will remove most of the thorns and expose the center of the artichoke.
Rinse the chokes thoroughly, then arrange them in the slow cooker insert (an oval-shaped cooker works best). Pour in the water, cover, and cook on low for about 6 hours, or until a fork easily pierces the stem end of the choke or a leaf can easily be pulled off.
Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing or mayo.
To make the stuffing, break up the bread slices and put them in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the bread is in large crumbs. Add the parsley, garlic, tomato, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to taste and pulse until thoroughly mixed.
To make the mayo, place the vinegar, egg, and mustard in the bowl of a food processor or a blender and mix thoroughly. With the machine running, drop in the garlic cloves, then slowly pour in the vegetable oil. Pouring the oil slowly is important to the process of thickening the mayo. When the mayo has thickened,