Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [135]
Apples and Sauerkraut
My friend Martha Mand made an Estonian dish called Hapukapsa, a caramelized apple and sauerkraut dish that she serves stuffed in a crown roast of pork at holidays. Martha’s recipe translates well to the slow cooker, which allows the apples and sauerkraut to caramelize with a long slow braise. Serve this dish with pork or alongside corned beef.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
¼ cup sugar
6 cups finely shredded green cabbage
(about 1 ½ medium heads)
Three 15-ounce cans sauerkraut, rinsed, drained, and squeezed dry
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sugar and sauté until the onions begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
transfer the mixture to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the cabbage is tender.
serve the sauerkraut from the cooker set on warm.
serves 6–8
Peperonata
Confetti-colored bell peppers and onions combine to make a delicious side dish or topping for grilled meats, sausages, chicken, or seafood. This also makes a terrific topping for crostini or bruschetta, served at room temperature. Peperonata may be kept in the refrigerator for up to one week.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 medium red onions, cut into half rounds
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
2 medium yellow bell peppers, seeded and sliced
2 medium orange bell peppers, seeded and sliced
1 teaspoon salt
combine the oil, tomato paste, oregano, basil, sugar, pepper, rosemary, and vinegar in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir to blend.
add the vegetables and stir to coat. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the peppers are tender. Season the peperonata with the salt.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
serves 6–8
Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers, like many other foods, got a bad rap from cafeteria service, where the tired peppers looked like little green sagging buckets filled with crusty ground beef and rice. No one wants to eat that! These peppers are stuffed with a creamy chicken filling and are cooked in a marinara sauce. They turn out creamy, and, most of all, delicious.
4 cups marinara sauce, either fresh or prepared
¼ cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
4 ounces smoked ham, finely chopped
4 ounces white button mushrooms, finely chopped
8 ounces ground chicken or turkey
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cream sherry
1½ cups heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
6 medium red bell peppers, tops removed, and reserved, seeds and membrane removed
pour the marinara into the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir in the wine. Melt the butter with the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, ham, and mushrooms and sauté until the mushroom liquid is evaporated. Add the chicken to the skillet and sauté, breaking up any large pieces, until it is no longer pink.
sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook for 3 minutes, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Gradually stir in the broth and add the sherry. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the cream, nutmeg, cheese, and parsley.
spoon the mixture into the bell peppers, set the peppers in the slow-cooker insert, and cover with the reserved tops. Cover and cook on high for 2½ hours or on low for 5 hours, until the peppers are tender and the filling is heated through. Carefully remove the bell peppers from