Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [170]
8 warm flour or corn tortillas for serving
cook the sausage in a large skillet over high heat until it is no longer pink. Drain it and transfer it to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Wipe out all the fat in the skillet, add the oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions and chipotles and sauté until the onions begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
add the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the bell peppers, cumin, and oregano to the skillet and sauté until the bell peppers begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tequila to the skillet and scr ape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the tomatoes and tor tilla strips and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, until the sauce is thickened. Stir in the cilantro. Crack the eggs one at a time in a small bowl and place on top of the sauce, arranging the eggs so that they all fit.
sprinkle the cheese over all the eggs. Cover and cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes, until the eggs are set.
put a tortilla on each plate and gently lift an egg out of the cooker onto the tortilla. Spoon the sauce over the eggs and around the tortillas.
serves 8
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slow-cooker savvy
If you have a round slow cooker, you may only be able to poach six eggs; larger oval cookers will poach all eight.
cilantro savvy
Don’t like the taste of cilantro? If it tastes like soap to you, you are not alone, for many people with an acidic pH in their systems don’t enjoy cilantro. Feel free to leave it out or substitute Italian parsley.
Egg Casseroles
A strata is a dish of layered bread, cheese, and flavorings, covered with an egg custard and baked to golden perfection. The slow cooker makes these dishes perfectly, and they are always moist and delicious, where the oven may dry them out a bit. Your choices for flavorings can be almost anything, from leftover vegetables from last night’s dinner to leftover grilled salmon. Feel free to play with the flavors here and make them your own. The only “have to” is the proportion of bread and egg custard; after that it’s your palette to paint.
Frittatas are Italian dishes using eggs stirred into leftovers and cooked on the stovetop. The slow-cooker frittatas use the strata formula to help you use up leftover veggies and bread, making a terrific meal for your family or friends.
Basic Strata
Strata are layers of bread, soaked with an egg and milk mixture and baked with cheese. This is the basic formula. Feel free to add your own flavors to the basic recipe.
8 cups torn or cubed (1-inch) stale bread, tough crusts removed
3½ to 4 cups shredded cheese
10 large eggs
3 cups milk
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon hot sauce
coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line it with a slow-cooker liner according to the manufacturer’s directions.
spread a layer of the bread into the slow cooker and sprinkle with some of the cheese. Continue layering the bread and cheese until it has all been used, saving some cheese for the top.
whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and hot sauce in a large bowl. Pour the mixture over the cheese and bread and push it down to make sure the bread becomes saturated. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until the strata is cooked through (170°F on an instant-read thermometer). Remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
serve the strata from the cooker set on warm.
serves 8–10
Croque Monsieur Strata
A toasted ham and cheese sandwich in France is called a Croque Monsieur. Generally made with Gruyère cheese and high-quality French ham on delicious bread, it is one of my favorites for lunch. This strata takes the combination and makes it into a delicious brunch dish. It is terrific served with a green salad; a vinaigrette on the salad will cut the richness of the ingredients, making this a wonderful way to start your weekend.
8 large