Tag: Recipes

Slow Cooker Sunday: Banana Bread (2 Dec 12)

I was inspired by an entry on Slow Cooker Sunday last week to have a go at making Banana Bread in the Slow Cooker.  As a family we don’t tend to eat a lot of pudding and I don’t often bake, unless it’s a rainy day and struggling to find something to entertain my daughter.

Aly from plus2point4 is always doing fantastic puds in her slow cooker and I’ve been meaning to have a go for a while.  I was stunned, it worked brilliantly.  You may be wondering what the advantages to doing it in the slow cooker are as it takes longer.  I found it was much more moist than when I have made the same recipe in the over, plus, we could go out and do something else while it was cooking.  I wouldn’t leave a cooker unattended but I don’t worry when it’s the slow cooker.

I believe the recipe is originally American so the measurements are in volume rather than weight.  However, I do think any Banana Bread Recipe would work.

 

Slow Cooker Banana Bread

Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: Slow Cooking
Author: Mediocre Mum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 435 ml plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 82 ml butter or margarine
  • 165 ml sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
Instructions
  1. Grease and flour the slow cooker.
  2. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda into bowl.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl, and then mix in the eggs and banana.
  4. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients.  Don’t over mix.
  5. Pour into the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high for 1.5-2 hours.  Mine took closer to 2.  To check if it’s ready insert a tooth pick and if it comes out clean then it should be ready.
  6. Let cool then invert onto a plate and ice if you want.

Now it’s your turn to inspire!

Don’t forget a more extensive list of recipes featured over the weeks can be found on Pinterest – Slow Cooker Sunday.



Slow Cooker Sunday: Lentil and Sausage Casserole 25 Nov 2012

Slow Cooker Sausage CasseroleHere is my offering for Slow Cooker Sunday, where we come together to share our favourite recipes.

This recipe came from one of my new Recipe Books, ‘The Slow Cook Book’ by Heather Whinney.  I really like it because each recipe has instructions for using in a slow cooker but if you don’t have one it also has the traditional method listed.

The original recipe called for Toulouse sausages but I just used regular Cumberland Sausages, I think.  It doesn’t look appealing but I can assure you it was very tasty.  We served it with crusty bread and a dollop of Sour Cream.  Perfect winter food.

Serves 4-6

Temp:  Low

Time: 6-8 hours

Ingredients

  • 2 TBSP of Olive Oil
  • 6 Cumberland Sausages, roughly chopped
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 140g Chorizo Sausage, diced
  • Pinch of dried Rosemary
  • Pinch of Thyme
  • 200g Puy Lentils, rinsed
  • 175ml red wine
  • 500ml Pork Stock you can use Chicken if you don’t have any
  • 1 Red Chilli left whole

 Method:

  1. Heat 1 TBSP of oil in frying pan, fry the sausages for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  2. Heat another TBSP of oil, add the onion and carrot and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the garlic, chorizo and herbs give it a stir.  Return the sausages to the pan and stir in the lentils.  Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook for a minute.
  3. Transfer everything to the Slow Cooker and add the stock and chilli.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
  4. Prior to serving remove the Chilli.  If you prefer your dish with a bit of kick you could chop the chilli and add it.

Now it’s your turn.  Add your recipes by simply using the Linky below.

Don’t forget we’re also on instagram #scsunday and all of the recipes can be found on our Pinterest Board



Slow Cooker Sunday: Chinese Style Pork and Noodle (18/11/12)

Slow Cooker PorkI have a small confession to make.  This was originally supposed to be Chinese Style ‘Beef’ and Noodles but for some strange reason I bought pork.  However, I had a quick look at the ingredients Spring Onion, Ginger and 5-spice and thought it might work with Pork and it did.  The picture really doesn’t do it justice.   The only changes I made were the Pork of course and I substituted Pork stock instead of Beef Stock.

This recipe originally came from SOUPS FOR YOUR SLOW COOKER by Diana Peacock

Ingredients:

  • 1TBSP of vegetable oil
  • 5 spring onions, chopped
  • 3 cm piece ginger, grated
  • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • ½ tsp of 5-spice powder
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 2 TBSP rice wine
  • 2TBSP dark soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP hoisin sauce
  • 1 litre of pork stock
  • 1 TBSP of vegetable oil mixed with 1 TBSP sesame oil
  • 400g pork cut into bite sized pieces
  • 200g egg or rice noodles

 

Method

  1. Heat the oil in the slow cooker on High.  Then add all of the ingredients from the Vegetable Oil to the Hoisin Sauce.  Mix well.
  2. Add the stock and stir.
  3. Heat the second portion of oils in a frying pan, add the pork and cook until sealed.  You could season with salt and pepper but I wasn’t sure how salty it would be with the stock and soy sauce so I didn’t. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours.
  4. An hour before finishing, add the noodles to the cooker.  We served it in large soup bowls accompanied by store bought Prawn Toast.

Join in

So, what have you been up to with your slow cooker this week?  Please leave your links below a moment to check out the other recipes.  If you don’t blog you can always leave your recipes in the comment section.

We’re also on instagram #scsunday and featured recipes can be found on our Pinterest board.



Slow Cooker Sunday: ORANGE & LEMON-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS (Guest Post)

This week I have a special treat for you, someone who can really cook.  It’s none other than Keith, from Reluctant Housedad famous for his Thrice-Cooked Chips.  I only cook mine once and they come out of a bag.   I had to rein him in a bit as he has a penchant for things that takes days to cook (e.g Heston’s three-day ultimate bolognese).  I’m all up for slow cooking but really not that organised. :-)

 

ORANGE & LEMON-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS with CINNAMON SQUASH and CAVALO NERO

As we all know, lamb goes great with strong flavours such as Garlic, Rosemary and Anchovies, but I like to add a little zing to this delicious comfort food dish. The long, slow cooking in the orange and lemon stock permeates the meat, making it aromatic, fresh and light. Don’t cook it for too long: you’re after a firm texture for the meat, which you can break part into its individual muscle lobes once it has cooled, ready for finishing, bathed in its own gravy.

Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks

Serves 2

For the lamb

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 2 lamb shanks
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 300ml white wine
  • 500ml chicken stock (from a good quality cube is fine)
  • Zest and juice of 1 orange
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon

To finish:

  • 1 tsp cornflour dissolved in a little water
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • Zest of 1 lemon

 For the butternut squash

  • 1 butternut squash, seeds removed, skin on, chopped into chunks
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  •  3-4 small dried chillies
  • 1 tsp sea salt flakes or rock salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

For the cavalo nero

  • 8 big leaves, stalks trimmed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Knob of butter
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

 Method:

1. Add the sunflower oil to a large frying pan and brown the lamb shanks all over, approx. 6-8 mins.

2. Add the browned lamb and the rest of the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours until the lamb meat is very tender and almost, but not quite, falling off the bone.

3. Remove the lamb from the stock and transfer to a plate. Leave to cool.

4. Drain the stock into a pan through a sieve. Put the pan on the hob on a high heat and reduce by half. Leave to cool, then transfer to a jar and put in the fridge. This will allow the excess fat to rise to the top and solidify, which you can then remove. Once the fat has been removed, transfer the stock to a saucepan.

5. Using your hands, break the lamb meat away from the bone, along the lines of the meat’s natural lobes. Trim of any fat and sinew, then add the lamb meat to the saucepan of citrus stock.

6. Meanwhile, in a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar, grind the cinnamon, chillies and salt. Toss the butternut squash chunks with this spice mixture and the oilive oil. Cook in the oven preheated to 180C/Gas 4 for 35-40 mins, until the squash is tender.

7. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and butter and add the cavalo nero. Cook for 5-7 mins, stirring, until the cabbage turns slightly crisp.

8. Meanwhile, bring the pan of lamb and citrus stock to the boil and add the dissolved cornflour to thicken the sauce.

9. Serve the lamb and its gravy at the centre of the plate, surrounded by the squash and cavalo nero. Garnish with finely chopped orange and lemon zest.

 

A huge THANK YOU to Keith, it looks amazing.

Contribute to Slow Cooker Sunday

Now it’s your turn to join in by either adding a link below or by leaving your recipe in the comments section.  Don’t worry it doesn’t have to be as fancy as Keith’s.

Don’t forget #scsunday is also on Instagram and we now have a dedicated board on Pinterest with all the featured recipes.



Slow Cooker Sunday: Moroccan Harira Soup

Welcome to Slow Cooker Sunday a place to share slow cooker recipes and to be inspired!  Feel free to join in.  You can either use the linky below or leave your recipes in the comment section.

My Slow Cooker has been working overtime this week we’ve had Vegetable Biryani, Beef Stew, Fish Creole but the favourite was the Moroccan Harira Soup.

Moroccan Harira Soup

Unfortunately the pictures didn’t do this justice.  It was a lovely, warming combination of lamb, chickpeas, lentils and spices, perfect for a winter’s night.  My hubby moans about lamb on occasion as he finds it fatty but he absolutely loved this one.  We served it with Ciabatta Rolls.

Serves: 4-6

Difficulty:  Moderate

Temp:  Low

Time:  8 hours

 Ingredients:

  • 1 TBPS of olive oil
  • 1 Onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 celery stick, chopped
  • 454g of diced lamb or mutton
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 tsp of ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 5cm piece of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 900 ml of vegetable stock
  • 125g brown lentils, rincsed
  • 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp of harissa paste

Method:

1) Heat the oil in a large pan add the onions and sauté for about 3 minutes until soft.  Add the garlic and celery and cook for another 5 minutes or so.

2) Add the lamb, season with salt and pepper then cook until it is sealed on all sides.  Add the turmeric, cinnamon and ginger mix well so it is evenly coated.  Some of the spices may stick to the bottom of the pan.  Poor a small amount of the stock in, bring to a boil and scrape the goodness off the bottom.

3) Meanwhile put the lentils and chickpeas in the slow cooker.  Transfer the meat mixture to the slow cooker, add the harissa paste and pour in the remaining stock.  Mix well, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

So what have you been Slow Cooking ?