The Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook by Diane Phillips Read Free Book Online Page A

for a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker, and pour in the wine. Lay the pork on top of the vegetables. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours, or on low for 10 to 12 hours. The pork will be very tender. Remove the meat from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
    Strain the contents of the slow cooker into a saucepan and skim off any excess fat. Bring the sauce to a boil and continue boiling until reduced by half. Cut off the butcher’s twine, and remove any excess fat. Slice the meat ½ in/12 mm thick, or pull apart with two forks. Serve piled on a platter with the sauce on the side.

Lamb-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
    There are many versions of stuffed cabbage rolls throughout the Mediterranean region. Dried fruits and couscous are tucked inside cabbage rolls in North Africa; while in France, myriad forcemeats, like pâté, are wrapped inside the leaves and steamed in broth. But these lamb-stuffed cabbage rolls from Greece really tickled my taste buds, and I think you will love serving them to your family. They are made with savoy cabbage, which is milder than green cabbage. Stuffed with a spicy lamb mixture, the cabbage rolls simmer in wine and broth. They’re terrific served over orzo pasta.
SERVES 6
1 head savoy cabbage, cored
1½ lb/680 g ground lamb
½ cup/80 g finely chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried marjoram
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cups/480 ml chicken broth
1½ cups/360 ml full-bodied red wine such as Merlot, Burgundy, or Chianti
½ cup/30 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
    Bring 4 qt/3.5 L of water to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat. Remove 8 leaves of cabbage from the head, keeping them intact. Blanch the cabbage, 2 leaves at a time, in the boiling water for 30 to 45 seconds, or until the cabbage is soft. Remove from the water, drain, and cool. Coarsely chop the remaining cabbage, and transfer it to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker.
    In a large mixing bowl, mix together the lamb, red onion, garlic, oregano, marjoram, salt, pepper, and egg with your hands or a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Form the meat into eight ovals, and lay each in the middle of a blanched cabbage leaf. Fold in the sides over the meat, then roll the stem end over the meat and continue rolling tightly to the end.
    Transfer the rolls to the insert of the slow cooker, arranging them on the chopped cabbage. Sprinkle the onion over the cabbage rolls, and pour in the broth and wine. Cover and cook for 3 hours on high, or 5 to 6 hours on low. The meat should register 170°F/77°C on an instant-read meat thermometer.
    Gently lift the rolls from the slow cooker using tongs, transfer to a serving platter, and cover with aluminum foil. Strain the liquid into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and continue boiling for 5 minutes, until reduced by a quarter. Stir in the parsley. In a small bowl, knead together the butter and the flour. Whisk in the butter mixture, 1 tsp at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce returns to a boil and is smooth and thickened to your liking. Serve the cabbage rolls in a pool of the warm sauce, with additional sauce on the side.

Green Bean and Lamb Stew Provençal
    Beautifully colored, fragrant with herbes de Provence, and filled with potatoes, green beans, and tender wine-soaked chunks of lamb, this one-pot meal is sure to please everyone in your family.
SERVES 6
½ cup/65 g all-purpose flour
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2½ lb/1.2 kg lamb shoulder, excess fat trimmed, and cut into 1-in/2.5-cm chunks
4 tbsp/60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
½ cup/80 g finely chopped shallots
2 tsp dried herbes de Provence
1 cup/240 ml full-bodied red wine, such as Burgundy
One 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g can crushed tomatoes, with their juice
1½