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Entries in Slow Cooker (6)

Friday
06Nov2009

Pork Tenderloin with Acorn Squash, Lentils, and Onion

DateFriday, November 6, 2009 at 12:49PM

Juicy pork tenderloin, brined in apple cider and finished in a clay cooker with accompanying squash and lentils, by Dave Utrata.

Apples. Photo: Jason NelsonThis pork tenderloin recipe looks busy, but after a series of simple steps, you’ll have a juicy cut of meat served easily on a bed of the tasty side dish prepared in a clay cooker.  This dish has a striking visual appeal!  It also captures the nicely harmonic tastes of the autumn season, apples and acorn squash.  Be sure to read the preparation steps ahead of time and plan accordingly.  This is possibly not a dish that lends itself to after work rush cooking, but it’s really not that complex. 

 

Ingredients

1 lb. pork tenderloin

Apple cider, about 1 quart

½ cup Kosher salt

1 cup lentils

1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly

¼ stick butter

3-5 cloves of garlic, (to taste)

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried savory leaf

1 cup vegetable broth

1 acorn squash, sliced into ¼” to ½” thick half-rings with seeds and membrane removed

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp hot ground pepper (or to taste)

 

Directions

Begin by soaking the lentils in water overnight.  This presoak assumes you use dried lentils, as I did.  Drain and rinse the lentils and set aside.

The day of the meal, brine the pork tenderloin in the apple cider and salt.   Use enough cider to cover the tenderloin in a stainless steel pot, adding the salt first and mixing.  I got good results by brining for 4 hours; you may adjust the brining time for longer, but that time is about the minimum.

About two hours before dinner time, melt the butter in a large pan under medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and slowly cook, allowing the onion to caramelize.  This should take about 45 minutes or so; don’t rush it, this will be worth it. 

Add the dried herbs after this, add the lentils and broth.  Allow this mixture to boil then simmer for 10 minutes.  Set aside, cool a bit and then spoon this into the base of a clay cooker.  (I assume you know to soak your clay cooker’s top in water for the recommended period of time; the base of mine is glazed and doesn’t require soaking.)

Remove the pork from the brine, rinse and pat dry.  In the now empty pan, lightly brown all sides of the tenderloin.  Set this on the bed of onions and lentils in the cooker bottom.  Settle the half rings of acorn squash across the tenderloin.  Leave enough space between the rings to let the tenderloin show.

Place the top on the clay cooker, put into a cold oven and set to 375oF.   Cook for about 40 minutes.  At that point, carefully remove the top from the cooker and baste the squash rings and tenderloin in a glaze made from the brown sugar, cider and hot pepper.  Cook uncovered for 15 more minutes.

For serving, gently move the acorn squash rings to one side.  Spoon some of the onions and lentils on a plate and then slice out the desired serving of tenderloin.  Top with a ring or two of squash; they’re probably going to be fragile, but the skin will hold them together.

 

This dish was really enjoyable to make for so many reasons: it only looks busy, trust me on that one, and it was ultimately just a one pot dish.  It also allowed me to use the only real harvest that came out of my garden this year, the acorn squash.  My only regret is that I didn’t use a good camera to take a photo; my camera phone didn’t do this dish justice, it looked so good!

 
AuthorDave Utrata | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Saturday
28Feb2009

Thanksgiving Turkey Chili

DateSaturday, February 28, 2009 at 10:19AM

A spicy, slow cooker recipe from contributor, Dave Utrata (otherwise known around here as "HeyDave".)

First off, I realize that this may offend the chili purists out there, as well as messing with those sacred memories people seem to cherish regarding Thanksgiving-themed meals.  Oh well.  In any case, this is a chili variation I came up with recently during this intolerable, endless winter.  I wanted to include some of those homey tastes of turkey and trimming memories for fun.  Then the fun spread when I talked to my buddy Rick, owner of Wallaby’s bar and grille in Ames, IA.  I stopped by his place for coffee one day (before they were open; I’m the man!) and got some great tips from him that I incorporated into the recipe, and I also scored some Paul Prudhomme Poultry Magic to try out.  So:

Thanksgiving Turkey Chili Recipe

Ingredients


  • 1 lb. ground turkey

  • 1 large yellow onion, diced

  • 1 green pepper, diced

  • 2 celery stalks, diced

  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

  • 1 can okra

  • 1 can okra with tomatoes and corn

  • 1 can great northern beans

  • 1 can garbanzo beans

  • 1 Tblsp Prudhomme Poultry Magic (thanks Rick!)

  • 1 Tblsp cumin

  • 1 chopped chipotle in adobo sauce (from can)

  • ½ cup chicken broth

  • 1 tsp allspice

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 1 tsp hot ground red pepper (*sigh* optional, I guess)


 

  1. The tip I got from the professional was to begin by sautéing the “Trinity” of onion, green pepper and celery together in a large skillet.  I used olive oil at this stage, but you could easily substitute butter.  Sautee these until the onions are just starting to brown, then put them into a slow cooker/crock pot.  Don’t clean the skillet, just put the turkey in for browning.  Mix the turkey around, essentially deglazing the pan.  When browned, add to the crock pot.  Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and set to ‘high’ heat. 

  2. The ingredients listed here just about filled my crock pot, but I assume there could be some variation in capacity for different models.  They all seem about the same size to me, but is that just an illusion?  Anyway, if you seem to be running out of space, I’d suggest leaving the can of plain okra out, or sacrificing the great northern beans.  Your call.

  3. Cover and let cook on high for about two hours.   You’ll see that some settling has occurred and you now have room to comfortably stir the mixture.  Do so, and check the spices at this time.  I’ve learned that people get pretty animated regarding spices and heat that they enjoy in their food, and I take no blame for any reduction in both.  I immediately reached for the very hot ground red pepper and a bit more Poultry Magic, which I found salty enough for my taste.  Obviously, your mileage may vary.

  4. Cooking on high for another hour worked well in my crock pot.  The vegetables were soft but not breaking apart, the beans were still holding up, and the distribution of spice and heat seemed about right.  I ate bowls of this (one was just not enough) with some oyster crackers, but this would likely be a good time to experiment with the addition of any of your favorite bread.  Suddenly winter seems less formidable.

AuthorTrevy Thomas | Comment4 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Tuesday
30Dec2008

Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas

DateTuesday, December 30, 2008 at 2:24PM

Try this traditional
New Year's good luck dish of black eyed peas, greens and rice, known as Hoppin'
John, in a slow cooker.

I don't like to be superstitious, but I can't entirely
resist it either.  I have stopped myself
on more than one occasion while just about to put a hat on the bed remembering my
mother's warning that was surefire way to cause a death in the family.  Fortunately, no one really has that much power.  Anyway, I finally started taking up this traditional New Year's Day good
luck meal, and figured out how to do it in a crock pot.  Start the cooker, take a nap, then have a
bowl of this with the last bottle of champagne you should have hidden away for yourself the night
before.  Enjoy.

Hoppin John

(or Black Eyed Peas and Rice)


  • 1 cup dried black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed

  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube

  • 1 medium onions, chopped

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 smoked ham hock

  • 2 bundles of fresh collard greens, washed and chopped

  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano

  • 1 14-ounce can of chopped tomatoes, drained

  • 5 cups of water (or as much needed to cover other
    ingredients)

  • 1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked

  • Salt and pepper

Put the peas in a stock pot, cover with water and bring to a
boil.  Boil 2 minutes, then reduce heat
and simmer one hour.  Drain.  If using bacon in place of ham hock, fry the
pieces first and drain on paper towels to remove excess fat.  Dissolve bouillon cube in a small amount of
hot water and mix well.  Place all
ingredients in slow cooker, except rice, and turn to high for five hours.  Stir in rice and cook one more hour.  Alternatively, rice can be cooked separately
and served with peas.  Remove meat from
bone and return meat only to pot.  Season
with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot
with corn bread. 

*Note: 
This recipe originally posted last year at Suite101.Com, where I am a
feature writer.

AuthorTrevy Thomas | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Friday
28Nov2008

How to Make Turkey Soup

DateFriday, November 28, 2008 at 12:58PM

I am too full of that trypto ingredient to make a proper
recipe, but by now, so are you probably. 
Meanwhile, you might have a leftover turkey to deal with.  Pour yourself a glass of wine and follow
along with me.

Turkey Soup Recipe


  • First, pull ALL the meat off the turkey and put it in a
    bowl.  Don't forget about the back side; there
    is good meat there. 

  • Next put the carcass and any other turkey bones in a big pot
    and cover it with water.

  • Add a peeled, halved onion, a couple of peeled garlic cloves
    and a few celery stalks.

  • Toss in a bouillon cube. 
    Pour in a little gravy if you have some left.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Then reduce to a simmer and let it go about
    an hour.

  • Strain the liquid into a big bowl and toss all the gross
    stuff out.

  • Put the big pot back on the stove, add a bit of olive oil
    and sauté some chopped onion, garlic, carrot, celery and potato.  Season with salt, pepper and something good
    like rosemary, thyme, sage.

  • Pour the strained broth back in the pan.  

  • Chop all the good turkey meat you're willing to spare and
    toss that into the soup as well.  Add
    some wine, a squeeze of lemon and season with salt and pepper. You can also add
    noodles or rice if you wish.

  • Let it simmer for an hour or two.  Taste and see if it needs anything.  If not, ladle into bowls and call it dinner.

You can do this in a slow cooker if you start soon enough.  Just follow the carcass boiling part, and the vegetable browning, then dump it all in the crock and let it go all day.

AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Thursday
31Jul2008

Beer Buttermilk Chicken

DateThursday, July 31, 2008 at 3:55PM

I was trying to follow someone else's recipe tonight, but
didn't have the ingredients on hand and was too lazy to track them down.  So instead, I switched things around for what
I had, and came up with a tasty new dish. 
This is a Crock Pot recipe, which allows the chicken to take its time
soaking up all those good flavors, but I think it would work in a regular oven
too.  And in case you're curious, the
original recipe called for champagne and heavy cream, but beer and buttermilk worked
just as well. 

Beer-Buttermilk Chicken Recipe


  • 2 pounds chicken pieces

  • 1/2 cup flour

  • Salt & pepper

  • Splash olive oil

  • 1 12-oz bottle beer

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • Tarragon

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk

Dredge the chicken pieces in a mixture of flour, salt &
pepper.  Brown (and I mean brown) chicken
over medium high heat in olive oil. 
Remove to plate.  Add a few
splashes of beer to hot skillet, loosen any browned bits and add onions and
garlic to pan.  Cook just until soft,
about 2 minutes.  Pour onion mixture into
bottom of Crock Pot.  Season chicken with
salt, pepper & tarragon, and put in pot on top of onions.  Cook on high for 3 hours.  Stir in buttermilk and cook one more hour on
low.  Remove chicken to casserole dish,
pour sauce over and bake in oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  The sauce is good to serve with noodles or
rice.

AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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