Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [168]
mix the cola, sugar, rum, and lime juice and zest in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Set the ham on top of the mixture and spoon some of the glaze over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, spooning glaze over the ham a few times as it cooks.
remove the ham from the slow-cooker insert, cover with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. If you would like to reduce the glaze, spoon off any fat from the top and pour the glaze into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue to boil, stirring frequently, until reduced to about 2 cups. (You will have a lot of liquid from the ham that has diluted the glaze.)
slice the ham and spoon the glaze over the slices.
serves 6–8
Stuffed Lamb in Ratatouille Sauce
Boneless leg of lamb gets dressed up with a stuffing flavored with dill and feta, and then is braised in a ratatouille mixture of eggplant, bell peppers, and tomatoes. The succulent meat absorbs the flavors from Provence in the sauce. Serve this meal with mashed potatoes or cooked orzo to soak up the delicious sauce.
RATATOUILLE SAUCE
2 Japanese eggplants, ends trimmed, cut into ½-inch dice
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium onions, cut into half rounds
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded, and cut into ½-inch-thick slices
2 medium yellow peppers, seeded and cut into ½-inch-thick slices
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
Pinch of red pepper flakes
½ cup full-bodied red wine
One 14- to 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with their juices
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
put the eggplant in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Shake the colander and set aside for 30 minutes. Press down to remove any excess water and pat dry with paper towels.
heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, eggplant, bell peppers, herbs, and red pepper flakes and sauté until the vegetables have sof tened, 10 to 15 minutes. Deglaze the skillet with the wine, scr aping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.
stir in the tomatoes, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Turn the cooker on high and cover.
One 4½- to 5-pound boneless leg of lamb, fat trimmed
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Two 10-ounce packages baby spinach
¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
lay the leg of lamb on a cutting board, place a piece of plastic wrap over it, and pound the lamb to an even thickness of about 1 inch. Sprinkle the lamb on both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted.
transfer the spinach to a mixing bowl and let cool slightly. Add the dill and feta and stir to combine. Spread the mixture over the boned side of the lamb and roll up the lamb from the short side. Tie the lamb with kitchen string or silicone loops and add to the slow-cooker insert.
spoon some of the sauce over the top of the meat. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the lamb is tender. Remove the lamb from the cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce. Remove the strings or loop from the meat and cut into ½-inch slices.
serve the lamb in a pool of the sauce and pass the remaining sauce in a serving dish.
serves 6–8
Beef Stroganoff
Stroganoff was popular in the 1950s when mushrooms and sour cream were considered exotic, but today most cooks have to dust off an old cookbook to find a recipe for this classic Russian dish. The original recipes called for beef to be quickly sautéed and then cooked with mushrooms, onions, and sour cream. This recipe uses lean round steak, tenderizes it with low slow cooking, and flavors it with meaty cremini mushrooms and dried porcini. At the last minute, add the cream and serve