The Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook (5 page)

1 large head escarole (preferable), Swiss chard, spinach, or kale, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm pieces

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

Two 3-in/7.5-cm chunks of rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, cut into small pieces

2 cups/230 g small pasta, such as ditali, tubetini, or even elbows, cooked al dente

Salt
(optional)

Freshly ground black pepper
(optional)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, carrots, celery, and sage for 3 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Add the wine and tomatoes, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, to evaporate some of the liquid. Transfer the mixture to the insert of a 4- to 6-qt/3.5- to 5.5-L slow cooker, and stir in the broth and zucchini, green beans, lentils, escarole, cauliflower, and Parmigiano rind. Cover the cooker and cook for 4 to 5 hours on high, or 8 to 9 hours on low.

At the end of the cooking time, stir in the cooked pasta, season with salt and pepper if necessary, bring to serving temperature, and ladle into bowls. The soup will keep on the warm setting for up to 10 hours. Any leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or freeze the soup without the pasta for up to 2 months.

SLOW COOKER SAVVY

Precooking the pasta will ensure that it won’t absorb all the broth from the soup. I generally cook
1
lb/455 g of pasta, and freeze it in small portions for use in soups.

This soup makes a great vehicle for recycling leftover fresh vegetables and any cooked meat or poultry that you might have from another meal. Add the cut-up meat to the soup when you add the vegetables.

Moroccan Chickpea Broth for Couscous

La Table de Fés in Paris is a tiny restaurant serving some of the best Moroccan food I’ve had outside of Marrakech. Madame directs the dining room, while from the kitchen Monsieur serves up heaping bowls of couscous and this savory soup ladled on top before the main courses arriue. My son-in-law Eric’s goal is to speak French so he can tell Madame how much he loves to eat there! This is a terrific warm-up on a cold night, filling your tummy with Moroccan goodness. I prefer to serve this with traditional couscous rather than Israeli, which is delicious in its own right, but not authentic for this dish.

SERVES 6 TO 8

2 cups/455 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water to cover

¼ cup/60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

3 medium carrots, coarsely chopped

One 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g can chopped tomatoes, with their juice

6 cups/1.4 L chicken broth

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Couscous
, for serving

Harissa (optional), for garnish

Rinse the soaked beans and transfer to the insert of a 4- to 6-qt/3.5- to 5.5-L slow cooker.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté the onion, celery, and carrots for 3 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Add the tomatoes, and transfer the mixture to the insert of the slow cooker. Stir in the broth, cover, and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours. At the end of the cooking time, season the soup with salt and pepper.

To serve the soup, spoon some of the couscous into a soup bowl, and ladle the soup generously over the couscous. Garnish with harissa, if desired.

SLOW COOKER SAVVY

Harissa is a North African hot sauce, which is the pride of Moroccan households. Each harissa is a bit different. At La Table de Fés, Madame places a bit in the ladle, then scoops up some of the soup, so the heat will spread throughout your bowl. Be forewarned, a little harissa goes a long way. You can find it at Middle Eastern grocers, full-seruice grocers, or gourmet retailers.

Spanish Meatball Soup

The region of Andalusia (Andalucía in Spanish) borders the Mediterranean along the southern Spanish coast. Spain was conquered at different periods in its history by the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Goths, and Moors, and the foods of the region still retain influences from each of these inuading armies. The meatballs, which are called
albóndigas
in Spanish, are often served in a saffron-flavored tomato sauce at tapas bars in Spain. They are made with veal and pork, also flavored with saffron, and in this soup they float in a rich chicken broth. I like to add greens like escarole to the soup to give it more body and flavor. Traditionally the meatballs are deep-fried and then added to the soup, but I haue found that panfrying works as well. The meatballs can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen before using in the soup.

SERVES 8 MAKES ABOUT TWENTY 1-IN/2.5-CM MEATBALLS

FOR THE SOUP

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

One 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g can crushed tomatoes, with their juice

1 large head escarole, tough stalks removed, and cut into 1-in/2.5-cm pieces

Two 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g cans small white beans, rinsed and drained

8 cups/2 L chicken broth

FOR THE MEATBALLS

1 tsp saffron threads, crushed in the palm of your hand

1 cup/55 g torn sturdy bread, such as a baguette or French loaf

¼ cup/60 ml milk

1½ lb/680 g ground veal

½ lb/225 g ground pork

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup/15 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (see Slow Cooker Savvy)

1½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¹
½ cups/360 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

TO MAKE THE SOUP / Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Add the tomatoes, and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker. Stir in the escarole, beans, and broth. Cover and cook on high while making the meatballs.

TO MAKE THE MEATBALLS / Put the saffron and bread in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the milk and let the bread soak for about 5 minutes, until it is softened. Add the veal, pork, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper, stirring to combine the mix-ture. Using a portion scoop, form the meat into 1-in/2.5-cm balls. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the meatballs all over (they will not be cooked through).

Add the meatballs to the soup in the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 5 to 6 hours. The meatballs will be tender. Season the soup with salt and pepper, if needed, before serving.

SLOW COOKER SAVVY

When you purchase a bunch of flat-leaf parsley in the store, wash it and spin it dry in a salad spinner. Chop it in the food processor or by hand, and transfer it to a zipper-top plastic bag, with a paper towel inside to absorb moisture. Seal the bag and store in the freezer. You can use the parsley directly from the bag; it will not turn color as some other herbs do when you freeze them.

Tunisian Lentil and Lamb Soup

Tunisia is bordered on the west by Algeria and on the east by Libya, and its cuisine is similar to that of its neighbors. Tunisians use lamb and lentils. The soup is delicious over rice or couscous, making it a hearty dish to serve on a cold winter’s night.

SERVES 6 TO 8

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 lb/910 g lamb shoulder, excess fat trimmed, and cut into 1-in/2.5-cm pieces

Salt

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp red pepper flakes

2 cups/400 g brown lentils, rinsed and picked over for stones

One 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g can chopped tomatoes, with their juice

8 cups/2 L chicken broth

½ cup/30 g chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the lamb with 1½ tsp salt. Brown the lamb, a few pieces at a time, transferring the browned meat to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker. When all the lamb has been browned, add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the skillet, and cook for 3 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker, and stir in the lentils, tomatoes, and broth. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 6 hours. The lamb will be tender.

Skim any excess fat from the surface of the soup and add the parsley. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and some black pepper, if you like, before serving.

Portuguese Kale and Sausage Soup

This traditional Portuguese soup, called
caldo verde,
is found in Portuguese enclaves here in San Diego and in Portuguese communities throughout the United States where their heritage and cuisine continue to be celebrated. The soup is spicy stick-to-your-ribs fare that will be welcomed by everyone in your household who comes in from the cold. Linguiga and chorizo sausage can be found in many supermarkets, but if you can’t find either one, a garlicky smoked pork sausage will work.

SERVES 6 TO 8

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

½ lb/225 g linguiga or Spanish (not Mexican) chorizo sausage

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1½ lb/680 g kale, tough ends trimmed and thinly sliced

8 cups/2 L chicken broth

4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½-in/12-mm pieces

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the sausage, pricking the skin with the tip of a sharp knife to release some fat. When the sausage is browned, transfer it to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Add the kale to the skillet, and stir with the garlic, onion, and oil to coat. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker insert, and stir in the broth and potatoes. Cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 6 hours.

Skim the excess fat off the surface of the soup, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Greek Egg and Lemon Soup

The fragrance wafting from the slow cooker when you are simmering a Mediter-ranean soup is intoxicating, and this lemony recipe is no exception. Your family will want to peek under the lid to see what’s going on under there. The chicken, artichoke, and broth mingle with orzo. A finish of egg mixed with lemon juice at the end of the cooking time knocks this one to the top of Olympus! There are as many versions of this soup, called
avgolemono,
as there are cooks in Greece. This one was inspired by a friend who served it proudly as part of a multicourse Greek dinner.

SERVES 8

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon, cut into strips (see Slow Cooker Savvy)

4 baby artichokes

10 cups/2.4 L chicken broth

1 cup/115 g orzo

2 large eggs

Juice of 2 lemons (about ½ cup/120 ml)

Salt (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

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 chicken until it turns white on all sides (it will not be cooked through). Transfer the chicken to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker and set aside. In the same skillet, over medium-high heat, sauté the onion, celery, and lemon zest for 3 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Transfer to the insert.

Cut off the stem and the top ½ in/12 mm from each artichoke, and cut into quarters. Drop the quarters into the insert and pour in the broth. Cover and cook the soup for 2 hours on high, or 4 hours on low. Stir in the orzo, cover the cooker, and cook for another 1 to 1½ hours on high, or 2 hours on low. At the end of the cooking time, turn off the slow cooker and remove the insert from the heating element.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice. Slowly pour 1 cup/ 240 ml of the hot soup into the egg and lemon mixture to temper it, and stir the egg and lemon mixture into the soup. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the parsley and serve.

SLOW COOKER SAVVY

Store-bought lemons are usually coated with wax to preserve them during shipment. Before zesting, make sure you scrub the outside of your lemon with hot water and a plastic veggie brush to get off all the wax. Otherwise, the wax from the zest will float to the top of the sauce.