Slow & Steady Wins the Race

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Theres something so comforting about slow cooked food. Is it the aroma that fills your house or the flavours that warm your soul? Or it the ease of setting it and forgetting it while we go to work, clean the house or catch up with our girls?

Either way, Slow Cooking has made a massive come back in the last couple of years and for a good reason too! I remember when I was working Shift work, I had a 7am start, I would get up an extra half hour early and brown my meat and throw it in, and add all the other ingredients, turn it on, have a shower and get kids ready.. then head to work. When I got home, the most I had to do for dinner was wash the pan I browned the meat in that morning. It was sheer convience. Now however, Since im a SAHM, I find if I have it on by 11am then dinners done and my tribe can be eating a heart warming meal at a decent hour or whenever they get hungry - which ever comes first!

But what do we cook in the slow cooker? A common perspective is that we do our roasts, or stews... But why limit it to that? As much as Im sure Shane would love a leg of lamb every night - our bank accounts wouldnt like it to much!

The versitility of slow cooking is as limited as your imagination... You can do Soups ( Mmmm Mums chicken noodle soup is DIVINE!)- Note to Self ring Mum and get her to do a batch for me.. It tastes so much better when you dont cook it hehe! Ok focus Lauren! So Soups, Stews/Casseroles, Roasts, Curries and even deserts! Deserts sound tempting dont they?

Soups:

As much as I would love to share my mummys chicken soup recipe, I honestly dont know it.. However, I found a pumpkin soup recipe that a lady i used to work with wrote out for me.. oooooo about 8 years ago! lol. So its an oldey but a goodey!

Pumpkin Soup: - Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 60g Butter
• 2 tbl oil
• 1 large leek
• 2 rashers of bacon- chopped in chunks
• 3.5kg butternut pumpkin- peeled and deseeded, chopped in chunks
• 3 large potatoes - peeled and chopped in chunks
• 6 cups of chicken stock
• 6 cups of water
• 1 cup of cream
• 3 tbl dijon mustard
• 2 tbl minced garlic

Method:

1. Heat butter and oil in a large frying pan. Add leek, bacon, garlic and mustard. Stir and Cook until leek softens and bacon browns slighty. ( I like to add just a dash of cream here to help mix the mustard)
2. Place chopped pumkpin and potatoes into the slow cooker, add leek and bacon mix. Top with water and stock. Turn Slow cooker on low and leave for 6 hours.
3. Wait for soup to cool slightly and blend or process soup in batches until smooth. Return to the cooker and cook uncovered for 20 minutes or until hot. Stir in 2/3 cup of cream. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve soup topped with remaining cream and crusty well buttered bread rolls.

Here are some other soup recipes that look pretty damn tasty!

Chicken Soup

Italian Vegetable Soup

Stews/Casseroles:

I love a hearty stew, my stew became kinda famous when I was living with my Dad and Step Mum. Why i dont know? Heres the recipe that I made for our first ever Mamabake In Macarthur meet.

Ingredients

• 600grams Chuck Steak/Gravy Beef – Diced into 2cms cubes
• 2x Large potatoes – Peeled and diced
• 2 large carrots- Peeled and sliced
• 1x Swede- Peeled and sliced thinly
• ¼ of a Half a bunch of celery – sliced
• 1 x large onion-peeled and sliced
• ½ cup frozen mint peas
• 2 x handfuls of Pearl Barley
• 1 x 400gram tinned diced tomatoes
• 2 x beef stock cubes
• 1litre of water
• 2tbls plain flour
• 2 tbls minced garlic
• 2 tbls oil
• Herbs to Taste

Method:

1.  In a freezer bag/ large ziplock bag, place flour and beef. Seal bag and toss to coat thoroughly.

2.  In a large frypan, add oil and wait til hot. Add beef, onion and garlic.

3.  Brown beef and place into slow cooker/large pot (if using a large pot brown beef in that!)

4.  Add all the vegetables including tinned tomatoes. Stir.

5.  Add Pearl Barley

6.  In a measuring jug add stock cubes and half the water. Stir. Add to Pot/Slow cooker so all ingredients are covered.  – add more water if needed.

7.  Stir well so all ingredients are mixed and under stock.

8.  Turn Slow cooker on High and Cook for 4hrs.  Or turn on Low for 8 Hours. If cooking in pot, turn to a low simmer and leave for 2hrs. If using stove method ensure you stir occasionally otherwise you will lose the bottom of your pot ;)

9. Serve on a bed of mash or in a big bowl with crunchy well-buttered bread!

Heres some other recipes I found:

Mushroom Pork Chops

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Roasts:

Roasts are really the simplist things to cook in a slow cook in my opinion. There is much chopping/dicing or prep of any kind.

How I do my Lamb roast:

This isnt really a recipe..

Ingredients:

• 1 leg of lamb
• 1 bundle of garlic
• 3 tbl of dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper.

Method:

1. Cut small slices in the lamb and stuff with cloved of garlic.
2. Rub Mustard over lamb, Season with Salt and pepper.
3. Place in Slow Cooker and cook on low of 8 hours.
4. Take out of slow cooker and place in oven for 15 minutes before serving to crisp up the skin.

Some other Roast Recipes:

Corned Beef

Garlic Roasted Chicken

Desserts:

I personally have never done a dessert in the slow cooker. But after doing some "research" they look pretty darned good!

Baked Custard

Chocolate Cake

Apple Crisp

So there you have it girls, a couple of new/old slow cooker recipes to suit any taste!

And remember if you want to have your say or share any new recipes, cooking catastrophes or triumps all you ahve to do is email us the content at mamabakeinmacarthur@gmail.com.

Well while the sun is shining Im off to wash sheets!

Sending lots of love and light