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Food: Slow Cooking

nemuneko.jc
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Flickr--Creative Commons

My plan for today was to talk about leftovers and what to do with them, but as I sat in my office Wednesday, typing and watching snow fall beautifully onto our patio, I changed my mind.

I wanted to talk about stewing and slow cooking and comfort food. This weather is perfect for it, and nothing tastes better than something warm, luscious and fragrant waiting at home after a long day of shoveling, snow forts and slick roads.

I use my slow cooker a lot for braising and stewing at home. The evenly controlled temperatures cook foods all day, while you are at work, with minimal effort and maximum results. There are tons of recipes on the internet, particularly on Pinterest, some of which can be made one day, then turn into leftover meals the next. Ideal!

The super ninja of all slow-cooker heroines is a woman named Stephanie O’Dea. She used her Crock Pot every single day in 2008, and came up with some incredible recipes and lots of tips. She even makes soap and candles in her slow cooker.

My favorite recipe is the simplest one. I don’t even make it. My husband, a man who rarely cooks, has a few recipes and this one is his best:

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:

  • a good chuck roast
  • vegetable oil
  • beef broth
  • 1 C. red wine
  • 1 onion, diced
  • garlic, minced
  • 1 C. carrots, chopped
  • 2 russet potatoes, cubed
  • thyme
  • rosemary (optional)
  • salt and black pepper

Directions:
Brown the roast in the vegetable oil until very dark on both sides. Add it to the Crock-Pot, then pour in the red wine. Add vegetables, garlic, herbs and spices (except salt). Then add broth until everything is barely covered. Cover and set to high. Cook for 8 hours. Season with salt and additional pepper, if needed. Enjoy!