Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [160]
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
Two 14- to 15-ounce cans crushed plum tomatoes, with their juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and garlic and sauté until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes.
transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 1½- to 3-quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
serves 8
Seafood Dip
Filled with clams, shrimp, crab, and cheeses, this warm dip is scrumptious as well as luxurious. Serve with baguette slices or water crackers.
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese at room temperature
½ cup mayonnaise
8 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
4 ounces cooked shrimp, finely chopped
One 8-ounce can minced or chopped clams, drained
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 cups finely shredded Gruyère cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
coat the insert of a 1½- to 3-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients until blended.
transfer the mixture to the slow-cooker insert. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, until heated through.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
serves 8
Warm Clam Dip
My mom’s clam dip gets a warm-up here. It’s terrific served with chips, pita crisps, or baguette slices.
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese at room temperature and cut into cubes
½ cup mayonnaise
3 green onions, finely chopped, using the white and tender green parts
2 cloves garlic, minced
Three 8-ounce cans minced or chopped clams, drained with ¼ cup clam juice reserved
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
coat the insert of a 1½- to 3-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, adding the clam juice to thin the dip.
transfer the mixture to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, until bubbling.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
serves 6–8
Mornay Dip for Crab Claws and Shrimp
The days of formal cocktail parties at home seem to have given way to either catered affairs or the ubiquitous “get together” with less lavish food and drink. In many ways I miss the mountains of seafood and the chafing dishes filled with sauces for dipping. This is my ode to the good old days: a creamy sauce flavored with sherry and lobster stock that I serve with stone crab claws and colossal-size shrimp (see savvy).
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups lobster stock
¼ cup cream sherry
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and seasoning and cook for 2 minutes, until the shallots are softened. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in the stock and sherry and bring the mixture to a boil.
stir in the cream and parsley to combine. Transfer to the insert of a 1½- to 3-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
serves 8
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party shrimp savvy
When serving shrimp at a party, plan on 4 jumbo shrimp per person, and then add a few extras just to make sure you don’t run out of them. Jumbo shrimp number 21 to 25 per pound, so plan accordingly.
Hot Bloody Mary Dip for Shrimp
This warm dip for shrimp has all the flavors of that great cocktail, the bloody Mary, and a creamy texture from the addition of cream cheese. It’s delicious for dipping with crab claws