The Great American Slow Cooker Book by Bruce Weinstein Read Free Book Online

diced tomatoes, with juice
    5¼ cups canned hominy, drained and rinsed
    2 cups thinly sliced celery
    1¾ cups chopped red onion
    1 cup reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
    ¾ cup canned chopped green chiles (hot, medium, or mild)
    1 tblsp dried oregano
    2 tsp ground cumin
    ¾ tsp ground black pepper
    ¼ tsp ground cloves
    1½ pounds turkey sausage meat, any casings removed
    1 Stir the tomatoes, hominy, celery, onion, broth, chiles, oregano, cumin, pepper, and cloves in the slow cooker. Crumble the sausage into quarter-size chunks over the stew; gently stir it in without breaking it up.
    2 Cover and cook on low for 7 hours, or until the vegetables have softened and the flavors have blended.
    TESTERS’ NOTES
    • Breakfast stews like this one are popular in small eateries across the American Southwest. It’s a big taste in the morning, laced with chile and onion.
    • A 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes with juice or of drained hominy yields about 1¾ cups; a 28-ounce can of either yields about 3½ cups.
    Serve It Up! Offer warmed corn or flour tortillas on the side—and perhaps a poached or fried egg to “float” in the bowl.
cheddar and apple grits
    INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED: Hominy is made from dried field corn that has been soaked in an alkali solution to loosen the hulls and tenderize the kernels. Even the oil and protein structure of the grain is changed. Hominy has been a staple of North American diets for centuries, a chewy, sweet way to relish the corn harvest all year long. It should definitely be a breakfast staple in your home.
    EFFORT: NOT MUCH • PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES • COOK TIME: 6 HOURS • KEEPS ON WARM: 2 HOURS • SERVES: 3 TO 8
    2- TO 3½-QUART
    2 cups water
    ½ cup whole-grain corn grits
    ½ cup chopped, peeled, and cored tart apple
    2 tblsp minced scallions (white and pale green parts only)
    ½ tsp Cajun spice blend
    ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
    ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
    4- TO 5½-QUART
    4 cups water
    1 cup whole-grain corn grits
    1 cup chopped, peeled, and cored tart apple
    ¼ cup minced scallions (white and pale green parts only)
    1 tsp Cajun spice blend
    ½ tsp red pepper flakes
    1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
    6- TO 8-QUART
    6 cups water
    1½ cups whole-grain corn grits
    1½ cups chopped, peeled, and cored tart apple
    6 tblsp minced scallions (white and pale green parts only)
    1½ tsp Cajun spice blend
    ¾ tsp red pepper flakes
    1½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese
    Stir all the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the grits are smooth and creamy.
    TESTERS’ NOTES
    • Skip the instant grits and instead use whole-grain, yellow grits, made from dried field corn and available at larger supermarkets and most health-food stores.
    • Although we’ve campaigned for sweeter, softer apples in some porridges, these grits benefit from tart, firm apples like Granny Smith or Empire.
    • Look for Cajun spice blends that aren’t simply doctored cayenne, but instead include a wide range of herbs and spices.
    • Because the Cheddar has plenty of sodium, and also because Cajun spice blends often include salt in the mix, there’s none added in this recipe.
    Serve It Up! Most Southerners wouldn’t consider this a breakfast on its own. It needs a fried egg (or two) to round out the meal.
polenta with apricot nectar and almonds
    EFFORT: NOT MUCH • PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES • COOK TIME: 8 HOURS • KEEPS ON WARM: 2 HOURS • SERVES: 4 TO 12
    2- TO 3½-QUART
    3 cups water
    2 cups pitted and sliced fresh apricots
    ¾ cup polenta
    6 tblsp apricot nectar
    6 tblsp ground almonds
    6 tblsp packed light brown sugar
    ¼ tsp salt
    4- TO 5½-QUART
    6 cups water
    4 cups pitted and sliced fresh apricots
    1½ cups polenta
    ¾ cup apricot nectar
    ¾ cup ground almonds
    ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
    ½ tsp salt
    6- TO 8-QUART
    9 cups water
    6 cups pitted and sliced fresh apricots
    2¼ cups polenta
    1 cup plus 2 tblsp apricot nectar
    1 cup plus 2 tblsp ground almonds
    1 cup plus 2 tblsp packed