Tag: crockpot

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

My husband always looks so disappointed when I tell him we’re having soup for dinner!  However, after his initial moan, he really liked it.  It’s a hearty meal, great for those cold and dark winter evenings.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
  • 1.5 litres of chicken stock
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 TBSP of dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Tagliatelle

 

Method:

  1. Put the chicken, stock, onion, celery carrot, herbs in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
  2. When the chicken is tender fish it out of the slow cooker and shred it using a couple of forks and put it back in the slow cooker to keep it warm while you make the pasta.
  3. I used Tagliatelle, however, you could probably substitute most types of pasta.  Cook enough, following the instruction on the pack, so that you can almost half fill your soup bowls.  Then ladle over the soup.  I served with crusty bread.

Enjoy.

Click here for more Slow Cooker Recipes.

Disclosure:  That is not a picture of my soup as I forgot to take one.

Slow Cooked Abruzzi Lamb

This one of our most favourite slow cooker recipes of all time.  I can’t emphasize enough how gorgeous it is.  It does serve 3-4 but we ate it all between the two of us.

Slow Cooked Abruzzi Lamb

Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Mediocre Mum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • 1 TBSP of olive oil
  • 500-750 g of lamb or mutton cubed
  • Salt and pepper
  • 100g pancetta
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 tsp of lazy garlic or 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 TBSP of plain flour
  • 300 ml of lamb stock
  • I TBSP tomato purée
  • 2 tsp of light muscovado sugar
  • 2-3 sprigs of rosemary
  • 300g cherry tomatoes
  • Tagliatelle
  • Salad
Instructions
  1. Preheat slow cooker
  2. Heat oil in a frying pan; season the lamb with a bit of salt and pepper and then brown (5-7 min), transfer to slow cooker.
  3. Saute the onions with the pancetta for 3-5 minutes until the onion is soft, add the garlic and cook for two minutes, sprinkle with flour, stir and cook for another a minute.
  4. Add the stock gradually stirring continuously until it thickens. Add the tomato purée, sugar, rosemary and bring to a boil.
  5. Pour over lamb in slow cooker and top with cherry tomatoes. Replace the lid and cook for at least 8 hours.
  6. Serve over a bed of tagliatelle with a side green salad.

This Post Links to Hun…What’s for dinner?

The Best Slow Cooker Recipe Books Ever!

I’m always waffling on about my slow cooker as I use it at least 3 times a week and couldn’t live without it as a working mum.  People are often asking me for my recipes.  I do have a selection of tried and tested Slow Cooker Recipes here on the blog but I can’t recommend these two books enough as I use them weekly as  you can see by how tattered they are.

In fact, the two books are one in the same the larger one, weirdly, only has 100 recipes while the smaller has 200 but they’re by the same author and overlap.  However, if you’re buying it for a gift the larger one would be nicer.

They’ve completely opened my world up to the possibilities.  Slow cookers aren’t just for making beef stew.  Here are a few of my favourite recipes from the book.

  • Spiced Lamb Tagine
  • Abruzzi Lamb
  • Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
  • Lamb Rogan Josh
  • Sausages with Onion Gravy
  • Grean Bean Risotto with Pesto
  • Swordfish Bourride
  • Thai Green Chicken Curry

The smaller one is currently on sale on Amazon for about £4.

Disclosure:  Being completely cheeky but I’ve used my own affiliate code so if you do buy it I get a few pence.  Why not as I’m giving them a bit of free advertising!

 

Slow Cooker Curry Laksa Soup

This recipe was originally sent to me from the lovely folks at Blue Dragon but I’ve modified it to use it with a slow cooker.  It was incredibly easy and gorgeous.  It’s definitely gone on the ‘have again’ list.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 4 tbsp Blue Dragon Laksa Paste
  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • 200 ml chicken stock
  • 500g boneless chicken thighs, chopped into thin slices
  • 1 medium onion thinly sliced
  • 100g green beans chopped into 2.5 cm pieces
  • 1 tbsp of fish sauce
  • 100g bean sprouts
  • Coriander
  • ½ a cucumber but into match sticks
  • Straight to wok fine rice noodles

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and then add the curry paste and fry for about a minute.  When it’s aromatic add the coconut milk and chicken stock bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Add the chicken, onion and fish sauce for 4-7 minutes and simmer till the chicken is sealed.

2. Transfer to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Approximately 1 hour before it finishes add the green beans.  This will stop them from getting too mushy.

3. Prepare the noodles as per instructions on pack.  Put a large handful in the bottom of each bowl.  Now top the noodles with a few generous ladle-fulls of the soup.

4. Garnish with the bean sprouts, coriander and cucumber.

I served it with bread but really didn’t need to as it was an entire meal in itself.

 

 

 

 

 

Beef Stew with Dumplings, Red Wine and Leeks

It’s taken me ages to work out a recipe for Beef Stew.  I like my stew thick and gloopy.  This one was gorgeous and hubby gave it an A ++.  I put it on a bit late so cooked it at high throughout but sure you could adjust the timings and cook it on low for 8-10 hours, just remember to put the leeks, carrots and dumplings 90 minutes before it finishes and turn to high.

Beef Stew with Dumplings, Red Wine and Leeks

Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Slow Cooking
Author: Mediocre Mum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 TBSP of oil (whatever you have at hand)
  • 500 g of stewing beef
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 2 TBSP of flour
  • 300ml of red wine
  • 300 ml of vegetable stock (would have used beef stock if I had any)
  • I TBSP of tomato puree
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 150 g of baby carrots trimmed, cut large ones in half
  • 1 large leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • Dumplings:
  • If you’re so inclined you could make your own but I cheat and use Aunt Bessie’s which you will find in the freezer aisle near the chips!
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and brown on all sides (approx 5 minutes). Add the onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes until soft.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two. Sprinkle with the flour. Mix well for about a minute. Then gradually add the wine and stock. Simmer until it thickens. Then add the tomato puree and bay leaves.
  3. Transfer to slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours.
  4. minutes before it is finishes add the carrots and leaks and stir and place the dumplings on top. After about 45 minutes turn the dumplings.
  5. Enjoy!