Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [55]
3 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
One 4-pound bone-in turkey breast, skin removed
1 cup ketchup
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
put the onions and bell peppers in the bottom of an insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Put the turkey breast on top of the vegetables. Stir the ketchup, tomato sauce, mustard, sugar, Worcestershire, and Tabasco in a small mixing bowl to combine.
brush some of the barbecue sauce on the turkey breast, then pour the rest in the slow-cooker insert. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the turkey is cooked and registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer.
carefully remove the turkey from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding the solids. Return the sauce to the slow cooker.
carve the turkey and serve with the sauce or return the turkey to the slow cooker with the sauce and serve from the cooker set on warm.
serves 6
Turkey Braised in Tomato Sauce
A meaty, cremini mushroom–and-bacon sauce flavors turkey thighs in this dish. Rustic and full of flavor, the turkey can be pulled off the bone, returned to the sauce, and served over polenta or pasta.
6 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into
½-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 28- to 32-ounce can crushed tomatoes
½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
4 turkey thighs (about 3½ pounds), skin removed
cook the bacon in a sauté pan over medium heat until it renders some fat and is beginning to turn crisp. Add the onion and basil and sauté until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes.
add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper and sauté until the mushrooms begin to color, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the tomatoes and parsley and stir to combine. Add the thighs in the sauce.
cover and cook on high for 3 hours, until the thighs are cooked through and register 175°F on an instant-read thermometer. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce. Remove the thighs from the sauce and discard the bones.
cut the meat into serving-sized pieces and return to the sauce.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
serves 8
Garlicky Lemon and Thyme Turkey
A paste of of garlic, lemon zest, and thyme is rubbed on turkey legs, which cook low and slow until they fall off the bone. The pan sauce (see savvy) is a delicious accompaniment to the turkey served over rice or mashed potatoes.
8 cloves garlic, peeled
Grated zest of 4 lemons
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 turkey legs, skin removed
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
put the garlic, zest, thyme, 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and oil in a food processor or blender and blend to a paste. Rub the paste on the turkey and put the turkey in the slow cooker.
pour the wine and chicken broth in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.
cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the turkey is cooked through and registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer.
remove the legs from the sauce and cover with aluminum foil. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
season with salt and pepper before serving.
serves 6
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saucy savvy
If you would like to thicken the sauce, blend 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour in a small bowl and stir to combine. Add the paste to the sauce, stir to combine, and bring the sauce back to a boil. Stir in ½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian