Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [111]
add the onions to the same skillet and sauté until they begin to soften and turn translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour in the Guinness and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert, add the carrots and parsnips, and stir to distribute evenly. Stir the tomato paste into the broth and pour into the insert. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours, until the meat is tender. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce.
serve the lamb directly from the cooker set on warm.
serves 6
Lamb Cassoulet with White Beans and Rosemary
Lamb in rosemary-scented stew, thickened with white beans, makes a hearty dish to feed and soothe the hungry on a cold winters’ night. Cassoulet, made with duck and sometimes pork, is found on bistro menus throughout France, but lamb and rosemary are a classic combination that also pair well with the creamy beans.
1 pound dried white beans (in France they use the larger white beans), soaked in water to cover overnight and drained
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 meaty lamb shanks, fat trimmed
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
One 28- to 32-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with their juice
5 cups chicken broth
3 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
TOPPING
1½ cups fresh bread crumbs
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
place the beans in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the meat evenly with the salt and pepper. Add as many lamb shanks as will fit in a single layer and brown on all sides. Transfer the browned shanks to the slow-cooker insert. Brown any remaining shanks and transfer them to the slowcooker insert.
add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and rosemary to the same skillet and sauté until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup of the chicken broth to the skillet and heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the tomato mixture to the slowcooker insert and stir in the remaining broths, and the bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours or low for 10 to 12 hours, until the beans and lamb are tender.
combine all the ingredients for the topping in a small bowl while the lamb is cooking. Cover and refrigerate.
uncover the cooker and spoon off any fat on the surface. Taste and adjust with the seasoning. Sprinkle the topping over the cassoulet, cover, and cook on high another 30 minutes.
serve the cassoulet from the cooker set on warm.
serves 6
Shoulder
Lamb shoulder, cut from the foreleg, is generally tough and needs to braise in liquid to become rich and tender. Shoulder meat and blade-cut chops are great choices for the slow cooker. The lamb melts into the sauce as it cooks and becomes flavorful and tender. Lamb shoulder is generally inexpensive, and the rewards from the slow cooker are delicious curries, Mediterranean stews, Moroccan tagines, and, that old English favorite, cottage pie.
Lamb Curry
Fragrant lamb becomes succulent in this coconut milk–and-curry-flavored sauce. With potatoes and green beans cooking along with the lamb, this dish makes a terrific one-pot meal. Serve this slow-cooked meal with flatbread (see savvy) and condiments on the side. If you would prefer, beef may be used instead of lamb.
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds lamb shoulder meat, fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch cubes
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium onions, coarsely