Adventures in Slow Cooking & Kitchen Aid Slow Cooker
August 31, 2017 by Jenny
Mom’s old stand-by – the crockpot – has undergone a makeover of sorts and is re-emerging as a reliable tool for even the pickiest of cooks and eaters. With the help of better appliances and thoughtful recipes by talented food writers and recipe developers, the slow cooker is finding its place in the gourmet’s kitchen.
James Beard-nominated food writer, Sarah DiGregorio, revamps the slow cooker for the modern home cook, providing ingenious ideas and more than 100 delicious recipes for maximizing this favorite time-saving kitchen appliance and making it easier than ever to use in her debut cookbook, Adventures in Slow Cooking: 120 Slow Cooker Recipes for People Who Love Food.
Slow cookers spark a nostalgia factor in many of us – the
orange, brown or avocado green vessel perched on the kitchen
counter with a meal magically waiting for us can bring back
memories of growing up. Even Sarah shares her first memory of
slow-cooker cooking being her grandmother’s pot roast.
While these handy devices have been time savers for busy lives,
traditional slow cooker food is sometimes underwhelming. I
certainly agree with that statement – years ago, I found
slow-cooker meals lacking in flavor and having the same type of
texture issue – basically mush or meat having a rubbery texture.
Those results surely stemmed from memories of my mother putting
ingredients in the crockpot, covering them with water and walking
away – hence my hesitation to embrace the slow cooker. But recently
with quality appliances and recipes – my views have changed and I
find myself reaching for the slow cooker more often.
In Adventures in Slow Cooking, Sarah has
reinvented dishes for a generation that cooks for fun and flavor,
taking a fresh approach to reclaim this versatile tool without
sacrificing quality or taste. For most cooks, it’s not just about
getting dinner on the table – we want to create delicious, healthly
meals without giving up the enjoyment of a tasty experience. Sarah
teaches us to use a slow cooker to make fabulous dinners like herb
oil poached shrimp or the most perfect sticky toffee pudding for
dessert.
The author also wants us to reimagine this appliance for
entertaining – and not just for pulled pork or keeping mashed
potatoes warm. How about throwing a biryani dinner party with the
slow cooker at the center of the table? I’m all for that –
sometimes my biggest frustration is getting all the components of a
meal hot and to the table when I am entertaining – the slow cooker
can remove that worry for me.
This cookbook shares beautiful color photographs, and original, innovative recipes thoroughly tested in a variety of brands of slow cookers which include dishes such as:
- Granola with Pistachios, Coconut and Cardamom
- Savory Overnight Oatmeal with Bacon, Scallions and Cheddar
- Turkey-Spinach Meatballs Stuffed with Mozzarella
- Spicy Kimchi and Pork Ramen
- Orange, Olive and Fennel Chicken Tagine
- Daal with Mango and Mustard Seeds
- Oxtail and Short Rib Pho
- Peach-Orange Blossom Jam
- Matcha-White Chocolate Pots de Crème
- Cardamom-Molasses Apple Upside-Down Cake
Also provided are tips and tricks to get the most out of our appliances – easy to follow outlines of cooking times, holding times and helpful “good to know” advice. This book truly is a must have for cooks of all levels whether a busy parent, entertainer or gourmet chef – the slow-cooker has taken its rightful spot next to the sous vide and liquid nitrogen cartridge and with Sarah’s recipes – can be our go-to appliance for all culinary occasions.
William Morrow, the publisher of Adventures in Slow Cooking is offering
three autographed copies of this beautiful book and KitchenAid
is supplying three KitchenAid 6-Quart Slow Cookers in our
giveaway below open to those with US mailing addresses.
The KitchenAid Slow Cooker offers 24-hour programmability, a digital display, automatic keep warm mode and more. The large capacity is perfect for small and large recipes from soups to roasts. Four temperature settings helps to ensure that your food will be ready to serve when we are! After the slow cooker’s programmed cooking time elapses, it automatically defaults to keep warm mode for up to four hours. Program the slow cooker for a specific cooking time up to 24 hours in 30-minute increments. The digital display helps us see at-a-glance how much cooking time remains before your dish is ready for serving and the sleek stainless steel design fits in beautifully with today’s modern kitchen.
Sarah’s book launch is on our calendar and we will be adding more dates as they are scheduled.
We are also pleased to share one of Sarah’s recipes here today. You can save this recipe to your bookshelf using our instructions below. Don’t forget to scroll down and enter our contest.
Ricotta-Spinach Polenta with Tomato
Salad
Polenta is often used as a neutral carb canvas for a rich sauce or
braised meat, but here the creamy ricotta-and-spinach-enriched
polenta is the centerpiece, with a simple little tomato salad on
top for freshness. An egg on top is great, but optional.
1 1/2 cups polenta (not instant or quickcooking)
2 tablespoons unsalted
butter, cut into bits
Kosher salt
5 ounces baby spinach (about 5 loosely packed cups)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 teaspoons extra-virgin
olive oil, plus more for the eggs
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs (optional)
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup whole or part skim milk ricotta
1. Combine the polenta with 6H cups water in a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the butter and 2 teaspoons salt. Cover and cook on LOW until the polenta is thick and tender, about 6 hours.
2. With the slow cooker on LOW, stir the polenta well and then stir the spinach into the polenta in 2 batches, covering the cooker and letting the first batch wilt before adding the second, about 5 minutes per batch.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss together the tomatoes, oil, and vinegar. Season the tomato salad with salt and pepper.
4. Optional: Pour a thin layer of oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat and crack 4 eggs into the pan. Season the eggs with salt and pepper and cook until the whites are golden brown, lacy on the edges, and just set in the middle, and the yolks are still a little jiggly, about 3 minutes.
5. Fold the Parmesan and ricotta into the polenta. Taste and season the polenta with salt if necessary. Stir in warm water by the tablespoon if the polenta is looking too thick for your taste-keep in mind it will continue to thicken as it cools. Top bowls of the polenta with the tomato salad and, if you like, the fried eggs.
Good to know: If you’re cooking for strict vegetarians, don’t use imported Parmesan (the good stuff!) because it’s probably made with animal rennet. Instead, seek out a domestic “parmesan” (the okay stuff) that’s labeled vegetarian, like the one made by BelGioioso.
ALL-DAY Holds well on warm through step 1 for
up to 3 hours
Prep time: 5 minutes Slow-cook time: 6 hours
Finish time: 20 minutes Equipment: 5- to 7-quart slow cooker
William Morrow and KitchenAid are providing three autographed copies of this book and three KitchenAid 6-Quart Slow Cookers, respectively, in our contest. You must have a US mailing address to enter. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Which recipe in the index would you like to try first?
Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest
before posting or your entry won’t be counted. Please be sure to
check your spam filters to make sure you receive our email
notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the
publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at
midnight on October 1st, 2017.
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