Cooking food slowly can be done in the oven, but slow cookers, known to many as crockpots, certainly help when making good soups and stews that require almost no attention. It's almost like being your own stay-at-home spouse as you get home after a day at work to what feels like a meal made by someone else. Leaving meat to stew in the oven while you toil all day at work can be worrisome, but there's no need to worry about a plugged-in slow cooker that's using about as much electricity as your computer monitor.
Most slow cookers on the market hold around 6 quarts. That's a lot of space to cook in, and it will result in a lot of food. The advantage of a large slow cooker is that you can fit a whole chicken, a full-size pork butt or a huge brisket and come out with a week's worth of chicken stock, enough pulled pork for a party or shredded beef for some delicious Philly cheesesteaks. If you're cooking for fewer mouths, though, plan for leftovers. Small cookers obviously yield more manageable quantities, but you'll have to adapt most of the recipes you find, as most recipes are designed for the larger machines.
The best meats to cook in a slow cooker are those tougher cuts that demand a long cooking time, since a long period spent at low heat turns their connective tissues into the fall-apart deliciousness you're looking to achieve. If you're cooking chicken, go for the thighs and legs, as white meat will usually get dry unless you add some kind of sauce, such as barbecue sauce and then shred the meat for sandwiches.
Many of those tough meats will have a high-fat content, too, giving the dish more body, remedying the common complaints that slow-cooked foods tend to all taste the same. And you'll receive no complaints when you dish out this chicken cassoulet. It will be hard to resist as you arrive home to the amazing smells that greet you as you open the door.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cassoulet
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, slightly smashed
3 large carrots, sliced in 1/2-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 package chicken legs (4-6)
1 package skinless, boneless chicken thighs
4 large fresh plum tomatoes, diced
2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans
1 cup red wine
1 bunch fresh herbs (parsley and thyme)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Combine, onion, garlic, carrots and celery in slow cooker. Arrange chicken pieces on top of vegetables. Add tomatoes and beans. Pour wine over the top. Add the herb bouquet and pepper, and cook for 6-7 hours on low.
Add the tomato paste, and stir. Re-cover, and cook for 1 hour.
Serve with toasted baguette slices, if desired.
CORNMEAL HOMAGE
How many times has a product been removed from grocery store shelves leaving you wondering where it went and why? That's the quandary many cooks faced when White Lily's Three Rivers cornmeal disappeared. Now though, thanks to a campaign by cornbread lovers, it's back.
There are many cornmeals on the market, but what makes Three Rivers special is that it's ground from whole kernels of bolted (put through a fine sieve) white corn. It's not the only company to do this, but you'll notice the difference in its interesting color - white with just a hint of yellow.
When used in recipes, it produces an extra-smooth, cake-like texture. And just like White Lily is the perfect flour for most all baked goods - I've told my daughters if they can't find White Lily, don't bother baking - Three Rivers is perfect for making Southern cornbread.
Three Rivers is currently carried only in Food City locations in Chattanooga, but as time goes on it should be available in other Chattanooga stores as well. Those of you lucky enough to have a Kroger in your town can find it there, and in Ingles stores, too.
Email Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.
Anne Braly