The Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook (24 page)

Stir the olives and mint into the slow cooker. Serve the potatoes either hot or at room temperature.

Spanish Potato Tortilla

This terrific Spanish potato and onion dish, which Americans would call an omelet, makes a great quick meal, even in the slow cooker. Boil the potatoes a day or two before you plan to make it, and then surprise your family with this tortilla just an hour after assembly. Serve it with a salad and some fruit for brunch or dinner. It is best to use Low-starch potatoes, such as Yukon gold or red-skinned, for this omelet. They are less likely to disintegrate while cooking.

SERVES 6

8 medium Yukon gold potatoes (see Slow Cooker Savvy)

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp sweet paprika

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 large eggs

¼ cup/15 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large saucepan or soup pot, cook the potatoes in boiling water to cover for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Drain and let cool. (The potatoes can be refriger- ated for up to 2 days.)

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion and paprika for 3 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Let cool slightly. Coat the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line it with a slow-cooker liner.

Peel the potatoes and slice ¼ in/6 mm thick. Spread half the potatoes in the bottom of the insert and season with salt and pepper. Spread all the onion over the potato layer. Top with the remaining potatoes, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, season with salt and pepper, and the parsley. Pour over the potatoes and onion. Cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 60 to 70 minutes. A knife inserted in the center of the tortilla should come out clean.

Allow the tortilla to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving.

SLOW COOKER SAVVY

When boiling potatoes, I use a pasta pentola, which is a large pot that has an insert with holes. I simply drain the potatoes in the cooking pot and transfer them to a cutting board.

Ratatouille

Just about every home cook in the French region of Provence makes some version of ratatouille, which is made with eggplant, tomatoes, and other vegetables as well as herbs from the kitchen garden. Served as a side dish with grilled or roasted meats, poultry or seafood, ratatouille is also a Lovely addition to a
Frittata
, omelet, or quiche. Or spoon some on a tartine (toast) made with good bread. Make sure you salt the eggplant and zucchini before cooking, to eliminate excess water in the finished sauce.

SERVES 6 TO 8

2 lb/910 g purple eggplant, peeled and cut into ½-in/12-mm cubes (see Slow Cooker Savvy)

2 medium zucchini, cut into ½-in/12-mm pieces

2 medium yellow squash or yellow zucchini, cut into ½-in/12-mm pieces

4 tsp salt

¼ cup/60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of red pepper flakes

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2 medium onions, halved and sliced crosswise into half-moons

2 tsp herbes de Provence
Slow Cooker Savvy

1 bay leaf

1 medium red bell pepper, cored and sliced ½ in/12 mm thick

1 medium yellow bell pepper, cored and sliced ½ in/12 mm thick

¼ cup/60 ml red wine

One 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g can tomato purée

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Put the eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash in a colander and sprinkle with 2 tsp of the salt. Leave the vegetables in the colander for 1 hour, tossing them every 10 minutes or so. Press any excess water out of the vegetables and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the red pepper flakes, garlic, onions, herbes de Provence, bay leaf, and bell peppers together for about 7 minutes, until there is no liquid left in the skillet. Transfer the mixture to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker. Stir in the eggplant and zucchini and add the wine, tomato purée, and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thickened.

Uncover the slow cooker, discard the bay leaf, and cook on low for 30 minutes more. Serve the ratatouille hot, warm, or at room temperature. (Ratatouille will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)

SLOW COOKER SAVVY

Japanese eggplants are smaller and usually a bit more tender than common globe egg- plants. If you use Japanese eggplant, you will not have to remove the skin; it is tender, and will cook down.

Peperonata

Peperonata is a mélange of colorful bell peppers, onions, herbs, and tomato, which simmer and meld together in the slow cooker. It’s terrific in sandwiches and over grilled entrées, burgers, and sausages. Peperonata is also great as an antipasto with crusty bread and shaved pecorino romano cheese.

SERVES 6 TO 8

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 large sweet yellow onions, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced

2 medium yellow bell peppers, cored and thinly sliced

2 medium orange bell peppers, cored and thinly sliced

2 medium red bell peppers, cored and thinly sliced

1 medium green bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp sugar

1½ tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup/60 ml tomato paste

½ cup/120 ml chicken or vegetable broth

¼ cup/15 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and sauté the onions, bell peppers, oregano, sugar, salt, and black pepper for 3 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. This may look like a mountain of onions and peppers, but it will cook down quickly. Transfer to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker, add the tomato paste, broth, and parsley and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 2½ hours, or on low for 5 hours, until the peppers and onions are soft and tender.

At the end of the cooking time, uncover the slow cooker and cook for another 30 minutes. The peperonata can be served hot, cold, or at room temperature. (It will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.)

SLOW COOKER SAVVY

Uncovering the slow cooker allows any excess water that may have accumulated in the sauce to evaporate. This is particularly true when vegetables contain a lot of water, like eggplant, peppers, and onions.

Briami

The summer bounty from Greek and Turkish vegetable gardens goes into an ovenproof dish to roast along with garlic, basil, and chunks of kefalotyri or Parmigiano cheese, for a knockout side dish to serve with anything from your grill. The best news is that you don’t have to turn on your oven. Just pile everything into the slow cooker, set it, and forget it. You may find your family, lured by the delicious aromas, standing around the pot, waiting for the dish to finish cooking.
Briami
is usually served at room temperature, but you can also serve it warm directly from the slow cooker. Any leftovers are terrific tossed with pasta or eggs for a vegetarian main course.

SERVES 8

½ cup/120 ml extra-virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup/45 g packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

2 tsp chopped fresh Greek or Italian oregano

3 large Yukon gold, red-skinned, or white creamer potatoes (about 1½ lb/680 g total), thinly sliced (peeled or not; see Slow Cooker Savvy)

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

4 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced (about 1 lb/455 g total)

1 cup/115 g shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano or kefalotyri cheese

3 medium zucchini, cut into ½-in/12-mm dice

2 small Japanese eggplants, cut into ½-in/12-mm dice

¼ cup/60 ml chicken or vegetable broth

¼ cup/15 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Coat the inside of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, or line with a slow-cooker liner. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Drizzle a bit into the bottom of the slow cooker and lay the potatoes on top. Strew about a quarter of the onions on top of the potatoes, layer with about a third of the tomatoes, and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Arrange the zucchini over the tomatoes, and drizzle with some of the oil. Arrange another quarter of the onions on top of the zucchini, and cover the onions with another third of the tomatoes. Drizzle with oil, layer with another quarter of the onions, and cover with all of the eggplant. Layer the remaining onion and tomatoes over the eggplant, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Pour the rest of the oil over the top layer, and do the same with the broth. Cover and cook for 2 hours on high, or 4 hours on low.

Uncover the slow cooker, sprinkle the parsley over the top, and allow the dish to rest for about 20 minutes before serving.

SLOW COOKER SAVVY

To peel the potato or not to peel? If the skins are pristine, there is no need to remoue them. In fact, many nutritional experts say most of the good stuff is in the skin. But if the skin has a greenish tinge, then do peel the potatoes. The color is from the potato’s exposure to light, which can result in a toxin called solanine. The solanine may give you a stomachache.

Eggplant Moussaka

A savory dish made with layers of eggplant and sometimes meat, moussaka is topped with a creamy cheese sauce, and baked until bubbling. It is a classic dish from the Greek culinary tradition, but versions of it are made in Turkey, the Middle East, and in Eastern Europe, where it may include potatoes instead of eggplant. Here the eggplant and meat are combined, and then layered with a tangy béchamel sauce. This is a lovely dish to serve with roasted or grilled meats, fish, or poultry. It also makes a tasty luncheon dish, especially when accompanied by a summer salad filled with fresh tomatoes, and tossed with a red wine vinaigrette.

SERVES 6 TO 8

FOR THE EGGPLANT AND MEAT

3 large purple eggplants (about 3 lbs/1.4 kg), peeled and cut into ½-in/12-mm pieces

2 tsp salt

4 tbsp/60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1½ lb/680 g ground lamb

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup/120 ml full-bodied red wine, such as Burgundy, Chianti, or Barolo

One 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g can tomato purée

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup/15 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

FOR THE BÉCHAMEL

4 tbsp/55 g unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1½ cups/360 ml chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup/240 ml heavy cream

1½ cups/175 g grated kefalotyri cheese

Salt (optional)

5 drops Tabasco

1 cup/115 g grated kefalotyri cheese

TO MAKE THE EGGPLANT AND MEAT / Put the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with 1 tsp of the salt. Let stand for 15 minutes. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil over medium-high heat, and sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Add the lamb and cook until no longer pink, stirring to break up any large clumps. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Press down on the eggplant to extract any excess water. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in the same skillet over high heat, and sauté the eggplant with the oregano and nutmeg, until the eggplant is golden brown. Drain off any excess moisture, add the wine, and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomato purée, and fold the mixture into the lamb. Season with the remaining 1 tsp of salt and the pepper, and stir in the parsley. Set aside. (The lamb mixture can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before assembling the moussaka.)