Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever by Diane Phillips Read Free Book Online Page B

cups chopped onions
    1½ cups chopped celery
    1½ cups chopped green bell peppers
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    1 tablespoon Old Bay or Creole seasoning
    1 pound andouille or other smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch dice
    4 cups chicken broth
    3 cups bite-size pieces cooked chicken
    1 bay leaf
    3 cups cooked long-grain rice
    6 green onions, chopped, using the white and tender green part, for garnishing
    Gumbo filé powder for serving
    Assorted hot sauces for serving
    heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk the roux until it is a dark golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
    add the onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, and seasoning and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. (At this point, the mixture can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Rewarm the roux before adding it to the slow cooker.)
    transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir in the sausage, broth, chicken, and bay leaf. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove the bay leaf from the gumbo.
    serve the gumbo over the rice and garnish with the green onions. Serve with the filé powder and assorted hot sauces on the side.
    serves 8–10
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    okra savvy
    If you love okra, you can add it to this recipe, but don’t add it till the last hour of cooking. Two cups sliced ( ¼ inch) fresh okra works well here. Frozen or canned okra becomes stringy and is unappetizing.

Pacific Rim Pork and Noodle Soup
    This soup is one of my favorites with its ginger-flavored broth, red cooked pork, noodles, and vegetables. Basically a stir-fry-soup, you can swap leftover chicken, seafood, or beef, for the pork.
    ½ cup soy sauce
    ¼ cup hoisin sauce
    ¼ cup rice wine (mirin)
    Pinch five-spice powder
    2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
    1 pork tenderloin 1¼ to 1½ pounds, silver skin removed, cut into ½-inch slices
    2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
    1 bunch bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces
    2 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips
    8 cups beef broth
    8 ounces fresh soba noodles, or 12 ounces dried
    4 green onions, finely chopped, using the white and tender green parts
    ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds for garnishing
    whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin, rice wine, five-spice powder, and sesame oil in a large glass bowl. Add the pork, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
    heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Remove the pork from the marinade and add to the skillet. Stir–fry, a few pieces at a time, until the pork begins to color, 3 to 4 minutes.
    transfer the pork to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the ginger and garlic to the same skillet and stir-fry for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the onion, bok choy, and carrots and stir-fry until the vegetables are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of the broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
    transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the remaining 7 cups broth to the slow-cooker insert. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork and vegetables are tender. Add the noodles and green onions. Cover and cook for an additional 45 minutes.
    serve the soup garnished with the toasted sesame seeds.
    serves 8

Turkey Minestrone
    This soothing slow-cooked meal-in-a-bowl is a terrific way to use up leftover turkey from a holiday meal. Brimming with vegetables, turkey, and cheese tortellini, it is sure to please on a cold fall or winter evening. The rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese flavors the soup, and although it’s optional, it gives the soup a great depth of flavor. Save rinds in zipper-top plastic bags in the freezer for adding to soups and sauces.
    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1 cup chopped sweet onion
    2 cups chopped carrots
    2 cups chopped