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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JANUARY 2020 Comforting crockpot meals keep it simple


Low and slow When the electric crockpot or slow


cooker came out, it seemed new, but it was actually modelled on something very old: the cast iron pot and a wood cookstove.


Jude’s Kitchen JUDIE STEEVES


Both rely on even, steady, low heat


over many hours, to create a delicious stew. The pot must remain covered so the steam infuses whatever meat is inside, keeping it moist and succulent and rendering it tender to the fork. Whether you cook a tough cut of beef or pork, chicken pieces or a whole chicken, lamb or vegetables, the long, slow cooking does a terrific job of marrying the flavours in the pot so the end result is far more scrumptious than the individual ingredients you put in. Although both the recipes on this


page were created with the crockpot in mind, both could also be made on top of the stove, on very low heat, but for a much shorter time: an hour or so for the chicken and two or three for the roast.


Alternatively, you could begin both on top of the stove, and once assembled, cover and finish them in a low oven (325°F or so) for the same time you’d use to cook them on top of the stove. With the beginning of a new year, the rich food we indulged in over the holidays doesn’t seem so attractive, but during the short, cold days of mid-winter, comfort food really is just


CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS


This is the quintessential comfort food to push back the cold and the dark days of winter. It’s easy to make up in the morning, ready to finish after a day at work or play, and serve. It’s all in one pot—the crock pot or slow cooker. Substitute more chicken stock for the wine if you wish.


2-3 lb. (1-1.4 kg) or 8 chicken thighs 1/2 tsp.(2 ml) black pepper 1/4 tsp. (1 ml) white pepper splash of oil


3 tbsp. (45 ml) butter 1 c. (250 ml) white wine 1 tbsp. (15 ml) fresh parsley 3 sprigs fresh rosemary


2 c. (500 ml) or 4 celery stalks parsley to garnish


1/2 tsp. (2 ml) paprika 1/2 tsp. (2 ml) sea salt 1/4 tsp. (1 ml) nutmeg 1 large onion


3 tbsp. (45 ml) flour


1 c. (250 ml) hot chicken stock 1 tsp. (5 ml) dried thyme leaves 2 c. (500 ml) or 4 carrots 6-8 mushrooms


• Skin thighs and remove visible fat. Sprinkle them with the mixture of salt, peppers, paprika and nutmeg.


• Heat a splash of cooking oil in a heavy frypan over medium heat and briefly brown the thighs. Chop a large onion while they brown. • Chop carrots, celery and mushrooms and add to the bottom of the crock pot. • Remove chicken pieces to crockpot and soften onions in the remaining fat for a few minutes. • Add butter and sprinkle with flour, cooking for a couple of minutes, until the butter has begun to brown. Gradually whisk in the wine and chicken stock until the mixture has thickened and is smooth. Stir in herbs.


• Pour the onions and sauce over the chicken pieces in the crockpot. • Cover and cook on low for five to seven hours. • Turn heat up to high and prepare the batter for the dumplings. (I mix the dry ingredients in the morning, ready to add the milk and oil just before I add the dumplings.)


• Lift the lid and spoon the dumpling batter in dabs on top of the bubbling chicken stew. Return the lid and cook for 20 minutes longer. • Serves 4-5.


Chicken and dumplings for a cold winter’s night. JUDIE STEEVES PHOTO


that: comforting for the whole family. Slow cookers are a boon for


working cooks since you can take 20 minutes or so in the morning to put together a meal that will be hot and ready when you get home after work or play, filling the house with the welcoming aroma of a home-cooked meal. You can toss in a pork roast with


apples, onions and white wine; beef with broth, mushrooms, carrots and celery; or a chicken with soy or


teriyaki to serve over spinach and rice. The possibilities are endless.


TEXAS POT ROAST


This crockpot dinner is full of rich flavour, and a lean but economical meal for a family. It’s easy to prepare in less than a half-hour before and after work (if you make the dumplings, too). Remove the roast and cover with foil before dropping the dumpling batter in.


3 lb. (1.5 kg) cross rib roast 1 clove garlic4 carrots


8 oz. (125 ml) tomato sauce 3 tbsp. (45 ml) cider vinegar 1 tbsp. (15 ml) oregano 1 tsp. (5 ml) salt


pinch of cayenne pepper


• Trim fat and brown the beef in a splash oil. Any pot roast could be substituted for the cross rib, but that cut is one of the best for the crockpot.


• You could also eliminate the browning step and put all the ingredients directly into the pot, but the flavour's much improved by browning the meat first.


• Remove to crockpot and soften chopped onions and minced garlic in the remaining oil over medium heat.


• Put into crockpot, along with chopped carrots and mushrooms (leave them whole if not too large).


• Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup and pour over meat and vegetables in crockpot.


• Cook on low for 8-10 hours without lifting the lid. • Serves 4 to 6.


CROCKPOT DUMPLINGS


These are light and delicious, cooked in the juices which accumulate from the meat and vegetables after cooking them all day in the crockpot. Use with both the recipes on this page.


2/3 c. (150 ml) milk 3/4 c. (175 ml) flour


2 tsp. (10 ml) baking powder 2 tbsp. (30 ml) oil


1/2 c. (125 ml) cornmeal 1 tsp. (5 ml) salt


• Turn crockpot up to high. • Mix dry ingredients together well, and beat milk with oil in separate bowl or measuring cup.


• Stir dry and moist ingredients together well, then arrange in spoonfuls over top of meat and vegetables in crockpot. Return the lid and cook for 20 minutes longer, without peeking.


• Serve dumplings with meat and vegetables and sauce. • Serves 4 to 6.


1 large onion 6 mushrooms


2 tbsp. (30 ml) brown sugar 1 tbsp. (15 ml) Worcestershire 1 tsp. (5 ml) basil


1/2 tsp. (2 ml) pepper Low and slow is what they’re about.


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