Quick and Easy Slow Cooker Meatball Soup

Ingredients:
Half a large bag of frozen Lidl or IKEA Swedish meatballs (about 30 meatballs)
Riso or Orzo pasta (I use De Cecco Riso or Tesco Orzo, but you could also use rice if you prefer.)
a 400g Jar or carton of good Italian passata (I use Mutti)
a half-sized tin (227g) of chopped Italian tomatoes
1 tin of Italian Borlotti beans with their juice (pinto beans can be used to substitute)
1 pint of water
1 Knorr rich beef gel stockpot (made into 1 full pint of stock)
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 large clove or 2 small cloves of garlic (pressed)
pink salt to taste
A large slow cooker (crockpot)
Cooking time:  3 hours


I came up with this recipe because I was sick with a sinus infection and had been laid up and unable to cook for a couple of days.  I didn't fancy any quick processed-type foods, but wanted something wholesome without having to stand in the kitchen for a long period.  This took me 8 minutes to throw together off the cuff, using things I almost always have in my press.  It turned out even nicer than anticipated and my son and husband were absolutely mad about it.  We served this with toasted bagels and tend to eat smaller portions than many people we know, but we found that this amount will feed the 3 of us for 2 nights, so you could certainly feed a family of 4 or 5 with it.  Just throw everything in, walk away and relax until it's cooked.  It's great for a wet and blustery evening or a day when you're not feeling well but want something good to eat.  It's so thick and filling - almost like having a bowl of chilli, but with lovely Italian flavours.


Method:
Put a small amount of grapeseed or olive oil into a pan and toss the meatballs in it on a medium heat for about 4 minutes, before turning over and cooking for a further 4 minutes.  This is simply to seal them off for better flavour and to prevent them turning mushy in the soup.  During the 8 minutes these are cooking, you will be able to prepare the entire rest of the dish.  Use the Knorr beef stockpot to make a full pint of stock.  Pour the stock into the slow cooker, along with an additional full pint of water, the passata, the tomatoes, the borlotti beans, the basil and oregano, the pressed garlic and a dash or two of pink salt.  Add the meatballs to the mixture, stir, set the slow cooker to high and leave for 2 hours.  After the 2 hours have passed, throw in about 165g to 170g of riso or orzo pasta and leave to cook for one more hour.  Serve with some grated cheddar on top and some bread or crackers on the side.  Enjoy!

Vegetable and Pancetta Lasagne

Ingredients:
6 Florets of broccoli
1 small courgette (zucchini), small round courgette or half a large one
1 baby aubergine (eggplant) or half a large one
1 & 1/2 cups (12oz) of homemade pomodoro sauce or your favourite jar of pasta sauce
Approx. 175g (6oz) of grated hard mozzarella 
125g (4.5oz) cubed pancetta (or beechwood smoked bacon or Danish bacon if you can't get Pancetta)
1x 125g (4.5oz) ball of real buffalo mozzarella
Raw lasagne pasta
1 small tub (probably about 6oz) of whipped garlic & herb soft cheese (I use Crefeé from Lidl, but you could use Boursin, Garlí or whipped Philly.)
An approx. 18cm x 18cm (7inch x 7 inch) square pyrex or ceramic dish (I used the Pyrex one with the red plastic lid that you can use to seal it closed afterwards for leftovers - very handy)


I came up with this as an alternative to my usual meat lasagne when I found some lovely round and yellow courgettes in season a couple of years ago.  Since then, I haven't seen the yellow courgettes again, but have continued to make this with whatever type I can find - I use round ones, baby ones or just ordinary ones.  My 8 year old son absolutely loves this and loves helping to make it.  He insisted that I put it on my blog.  In fact, we love it so much that we make it more often than we make a meat one.  This will feed about 4 people when served with a nice side salad.

Method:
First wash the veg and set aside.  Place the cubed pancetta on a medium heat in a large non-stick pan and get to work on the veg. The broccoli florets can be roughly chopped into bite-sized chunks with only a small bit of stem included.  The courgette and aubergine should be diced into small cubes. When all the veg is chopped, add it to the pancetta, which will be mostly cooked by now.  Toss the whole lot around for a few minutes just to soften.  Add the tomato sauce and allow to simmer for a few minutes to marry the flavours and soften further.  Turn off the heat and set the veg, sauce and pancetta mixture aside.  Chop the buffalo mozzarella into small rough chunks and set aside.  Begin layering up:  start with a layer of the veg, pancetta and sauce mixture on the bottom of the dish.  Put a couple of pieces of raw lasagne on top of this (In this size dish, it usually only takes 2 pieces to cover each layer and they don't need to be pre-cooked as the liquid in the layers will cook them in the designated time).  Spread some of the soft garlic and herb cheese in a nice thick layer on top of the lasagne, add another layer of veg mixture and then top with grated hard mozzarella.  Repeat the process again and then a third time, finishing that third layer off with chunks of buffalo mozzarella as well as a handful grated hard mozzarella.  (Remember - no pasta goes on top of the final layer.) 
Next, put the lasagne uncovered in a preheated oven at around 200C (just over 390F) for about 35 to 40  minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbly and the pasta appears soft.  Serve with a side salad and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Po'Boys - Ginger Style!

Ingredients:

1600g (3.5 lbs.) pork loin roast or pork loin steak in 2 or 3 large pieces

½ a large onion – diced

1 large clove of garlic - pressed

1 cup ketchup

1/3 cup soft packed light brown sugar

¼ cup vinegar

2 heaped Tbsp. HP Classic Woodsmoke Barbecue sauce (or similar smokey bbq)

2 Tbsp. molasses

2 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1.5 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1.5 tsp. pink salt

1 tsp. French’s yellow mustard (or similar American style yellow hotdog mustard)

½ tsp. cracked black pepper

¼ tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. celery salt

7-8 shakes of Tabasco sauce or ½ tsp. of mild to medium chilli powder
A large slow cooker (crockpot)

I’ve always blagged my way through pulled pork.  I’ve never followed a recipe and have generally just thrown the meat in the slow cooker and thrown in some water, Worcestershire, barbecue sauce and maybe a few spices.  I’ve always kept it simple and it’s lovely – very popular in our house.  This time I wanted to make some pulled pork with a little more punch and zing, as mine was good, but I always felt it could do with just a tad more flavour.  I pulled out an old slow cooker barbecue beef recipe that I’ve had for years from one of my favourite Southern cookery magazines, but have never really looked at.  I used some of the same ingredients and ideas (the molasses being a major one that I kept the same), but as is usual with me and recipes, I left out a few ingredients that I didn’t have or didn’t want to use, added several more that I thought would be nice, changed the amounts on almost everything and used pork instead of beef.  By the time I was finished, I’d made so many changes that I’d made it my own and come up with a recipe to suit my family’s tastes.  This is a large amount and should make enough for a family of 3 or 4 to eat for a couple of nights and then freeze the rest for another couple of nights further down the road.  Here’s how I did it – enjoy!

Method:

Place the pork cuts whole into the slow cooker, throwing in a couple of tablespoons of water underneath to start the juices and prevent sticking.  Dice a whole small onion or half of a large onion and throw in with the meat.  In a medium bowl, mix all of the other ingredients well and then pour the mixture over the meat, making sure to spread it around so that the meat is fully covered all around.  Set the slow cooker to high and cook for anywhere from 7 to 8 hours total.  You will need to remove the meat an hour or 2 before cooking time finishes and shred it on a large plate with two forks.  If there are any thick layers of fat on the meat, they should come away easily with the forks after a few hours in the slow cooker.  Once shredded, place it back in the slow cooker and cook on low for the last hour or 2.  Serve in baguettes or split buns, soft rolls, etc. with pickles and crisps or some potato salad, fries or corn on the cob on the side!

Just in... 

 Shredded and almost ready...

Yummy!!!

Slow Cooker Beef Goulash

Ingredients:
550g (19oz.) of Diced Beef or Stewing Steak
2 cans of chopped tomatoes in juice
A few Tbsp. (roughly 1/2 cup) sour cream
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
2 cloves of garlic (pressed)
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. Smoked Spanish Paprika
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Bay leaf
Pink salt and cracked black pepper to taste
A large slow cooker (crockpot)


*Smoked Spanish paprika is definitely the star of this dish and gives it all of the signature flavour.  For the sake bold flavour, I normally insist on using only quality Italian chopped tomatoes, even if they're more expensive.  Cheaper tinned tomatoes can be watery and lacking in flavour, but if you need to skimp and save the money by using less expensive ones, this is one dish where you may just get away with it.  Since the smoked paprika is the most important ingredient, the exact type of tomatoes isn't as important, as long as they taste like tomatoes.  Ordinary sweet paprika doesn't give it the right punch, so be sure to use the good smoked stuff.  Schwartz makes one in addition to their normal paprika.  You can also get it in tins imported from Spain in farmers markets or in good fruit and veg/deli shops like 'Get Fresh.'

Method:
First, prepare your vegetables and mince the garlic cloves.  Split the celery stalks lengthwise and dice into small chunks.  Cut the carrots into small coins at the smaller end and half-coins at the larger end.  Dice the onion.  Place all the veg in the slow cooker, but not the garlic.  Next, prepare the meat.  Mix the 2 tablespoons of flour with the tablespoon of paprika and the raw minced garlic in a large bowl.  Add the meat to the bowl and mix thoroughly around by hand or with a spoon until the meat is coated.  Put the meat mixture into a non-stick pan on a medium heat and toss around for a few moments to seal the meat on all sides if possible.  Put the meat in the slow cooker with the veggies.  De-glaze the pan with a little water and scrape the juices into the slow cooker.  Next, pour in 2 cans of chopped tomatoes with juice, add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and a few dashes of cracked black pepper and pink salt (Go light with it at this stage, as you can taste it when the meat is cooked and add more at that stage.) and a bay leaf.  Stir the mixture well and put the slow cooker on low for roughly 6 hours.  Taste towards the end to judge whether you need to add more salt and pepper.  About half an hour before the end of cooking time, remove the bay leaf, stir in sour cream and re-cover to finish cooking.  Serve over macaroni or rice.  

This amount serves 3 of us for 2 nights with some left over.

Ginger's Chili

Ingredients:

700g (1.5 lbs.) minced beef

½ an onion - diced

1 Tbsp. Mild Chilli Powder

1 Tbsp. Ground Cumin

1 tsp. Onion Granules or Onion Salt

1 tsp. Dried Minced Garlic or 2 cloves of garlic – minced

1 tsp. Dried Oregano

½ tsp. Ground Coriander

1 x 142g (5 oz.) can of tomato puree/paste

1 can of Borlotti or Pinto Beans with juices

A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

A few dashes of Tabasco Sauce (original)

Several tablespoons of water
A large slow cooker (crockpot)

I’ve changed my chilli recipe many times over the years, doing it by taste and never really following a recipe.  I’ve often heard that original traditional Texas chilli doesn’t have beans in it and that beans are mainly added in the Northern part of the United States, but never in Texas.  I was born in 1972 and grew up in Texas, even living and spending time in different regions, and had chilli made by many different people and in many different restaurants, etc.  It always had beans in it, so perhaps the tradition of having it without beans is on the decline.  I like it with beans, but you can leave them out if you don’t.  People often use kidney beans, but we like the softer Borlotti or Pinto beans, which are also easier to digest.  My father’s chilli was heavy on the tomato and very very spicy, always leaving us wishing it was milder.  My grandmother’s chilli had no tomato, but lots of onion and was heavy on the Cumin – a spice I adore.  In years past, I tried to marry those two ideas and used to add canned diced tomatoes to my chilli, but between that and liking it mild, I felt it came off like a slightly spicy Bolognese with beans, so I started changing my method.  I came up with this recipe after years of experimentation.  I discovered that it tastes best out of a slow cooker and with plenty of Cumin, just a mild to medium kick of chilli, and with tomato paste, but no diced tomatoes.  I add my spices by taste and instinct, so these measurements are approximate.  Feel free to alter them to make it spicier or milder to your taste. 

Method:

Dice half an onion and put it in a large slow cooker.  Next, lightly brown the ground beef in non-stick pan for a few minutes and then put it into the slow cooker.  Keep the meat pan on a low heat and begin adding your dry spices into the pan for toasting.  Toast them for a minute or two until aromatic, stirring around with a wooden spoon.  Dump the toasted spices into the slow cooker with the meat and onions.  Then, de-glaze the pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and pour this liquid into the slow cooker.  Finally, add a few more tablespoons of water, a few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce and a dash of salt to the mixture and stir well.  Place the lid on the slow cooker and set to high.  After 1 hour, turn down to low and stir the mixture.  After another hour, add the tomato paste, a couple more dashes of salt, and a few tablespoons of water and stir.  Place the lid back on and wait a further hour.  Add the beans, stir and taste for spice.  At this point, add any additional spice you think it may need (I like a few dashes of Tabasco, a few more dashes of salt and a dash more of chilli powder and cumin at this stage) and leave to cook for a further 2 to 2 and ½ hours.  This is minimum time – you can cook for longer if it suits your schedule.  As with most meat or stew-type mixtures in a slow cooker, it only improves with time.  If you’re going to cook it for longer, you need not turn it to high for the first hour.  **Please note that this does come out fairly mild with these amounts and types of spice.  My young son likes just a tiny bit of spice, I like a little more and my husband likes a bit more than me.  I find it's easiest to make something relatively mild and then we adults can add Tabasco to our bowl to spice it up a little.  If you prefer, you can use a medium or hot chilli powder instead of mild.

I like to serve mine with scratch-made cornbread and grated cheddar and sour cream to garnish.  It really hits the spot on a cold, wet winter night.  We also carry on my family's tradition:  we cut our cornbread in half and eat half with the chili.  After we've finished our chili, we eat the other half with butter and honey for an after-dinner treat!  My son loves this as much as I did as a child.

Scrumptious Banoffee Pie

Ingredients:
160g (5.6 oz) of Digestive Biscuits (These are thick sweetmeal wheat cookies here-you can use Graham Crackers in the States, but should reduce the sugar to 1 Tbsp, as they're sweeter.)
1 & 1/2 Tbsp. soft light brown sugar
80g (2.8 oz) real butter
a 397g (14 oz) can of Nestle Carnation Caramel (same shelf as condensed milk) or a jar of Dulce de Leche (if you can't get the pre-made caramel, you can make it by submerging a can of condensed milk in simmering water for a couple of hours-see online for instructions to avoid an exploding can!)
3 to 4 bananas, depending on size - start with 3
500ml (just under 17 oz) single (whipping) cream
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract or essence
cocoa powder for garnish
a 9" or 10" round springform pan (I use 10")  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springform_pan

Banoffee has become a very common dessert in the UK & Ireland over the last two decades & when I first tasted it around 15 years ago, I honestly thought it was an American dessert that had made its way over here along with things like Mississippi Mud Pie, etc.  It turns out that it's a UK invention & every time I mention it, my American friends & family ask what it is.  When I describe it to them, they're very interested.  I've decided to post it here, mainly for the benefit of those friends & family who have never had the chance to try it.  I called it 'Family Banoffee' because it's so much fun to make & really very easy.  Everyone in the family can get hands-on & pitch in & there's no actual cooking or baking involved, unless you count melting the butter!  My hubby & son helped me make this one. It's a great dessert to make if you're short on time or don't enjoy baking & it also tastes & looks impressive.  Once you've tasted Banoffee, you'll never forget it.  When I have a choice of desserts in a restaurant & Banoffee is one of them, I always choose it.  It is very sweet & filling (but not quite sickly), so it's perfect if you want to get one slice & share it with your partner or child.  Everyone makes it pretty much the same way, with the only real variations being size of pan (which alters the thickness of the caramel layer - I like the thinner layer because it's strong in taste & doesn't require a thick layer to leave its mark), whether to put cocoa powder or chocolate syrup on top & how much banana to use. For my version, I like lots of banana, I prefer cocoa powder on top & I add a little vanilla to the cream.  There is no need to sweeten the cream, as the base & the filling are so sweet, making the lighter cream layer a nice contrast.  I hope you enjoy this delicious treat!

Method:
Firstly, you'll need to prepare the crumb base.  Break up the digestives (or graham crackers) into rough chunks, then place in a food processor & blitz until finely ground.  Place in a bowl & add the brown sugar, stirring until well blended.  Melt the butter in a pan & pour the melted butter into the crumb mixture.  Quickly toss around until all of the crumb mixture is fully coated.  Making sure the springform pan is closed & locked with the base in place, transfer the crumb mixture into the pan & press out with clean hands until you have a nice flat, even layer of crumb crust covering the bottom.  Place this in the fridge for around an hour to set firmly.  After an hour, open the can of caramel & pour all onto the crumb base.  Spread out with a rubber spatula until a nice smooth layer is covering the crumb.  Next, slice up 3 or 4 bananas into thin rounds.  Cover the caramel layer in concentric circles until you have the coverage you desire (kids love helping with this part!).  When this is done, whip the cream with a whipper attachment in a food processor or kitchen mixer until it is very thickly whipped, making sure to add the vanilla while it's whipping.  Transfer all of the thickly whipped cream onto the pie & spread out with a rubber spatula once it's all on.  This will make it easier to spread around without gouging the banana & caramel layers beneath.  Finally, sprinkle cocoa powder on top of the cream & put the pie back in the fridge for an hour or two.  When you're ready to serve, gently unlatch the springform pan & carefully lift off.  You may sometimes get parts of it that want to cling, but you can easily push them away with a knife or spatula & still maintain a smooth & set edge.  Slice like a pie, serve & enjoy.

The crumb base in the tin

Add a caramel layer.

Add bananas.

Add stiffly whipped cream & cocoa powder.

Serve...

... and enjoy!

Spiced Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. mild chilli powder
32 fluid oz. vegetable stock (I used Knorr concentrated gel stock pots.)
1 cup red lentils 
1 large carrot or 2 medium carrots, diced
2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 Tbsp. dried coriander leaf (cilantro)
1 tsp. dried oregano
More salt to taste
Lemon slices or olive oil to garnish

A friend of mine was moving away & gave me the contents of her kitchen press, which included a full bag of red lentils.  I'd always wanted to make my own lentil soup & this was the perfect opportunity.  I looked up several recipes online in order to get an idea about method & amounts & then I added elements of several recipes together, along with my own ideas, to develop this warmly spiced soup.  It's so satisfying, warming & enjoyable with a bit of a Mexican flair.  It  leaves you always wanting to go back for another taste or two, even if you're full.  This amount usually serves 3 of us for 2 nights in a row.

Method:
Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Stir in the chopped onion & minced fresh garlic & cook until the onion has turned golden (around 5 minutes).  Stir in the cumin, sea salt, black pepper & chilli powder.  Cook & stir for another 2 minutes or so until the spices are fragrant.  Next, stir in the vegetable stock (you can also use chicken stock if you prefer), lentils & carrot.  Bring to a boil on high, then reduce to medium-low, cover & simmer until lentils are soft (around 30 minutes).  Using a good quality hand blender, blend on a medium setting until the soup is thick, smooth & silky, but not completely chunk-free.  You want it to be almost smooth, but with a few tiny chunks of carrot, etc.  If you don't have a hand blender, you can transfer it to a food processor or blender, being careful not to overfill with the hot liquid or allow the lid to come off while blending. Once blended, add in the lemon juice, oregano & coriander & stir well.  Salt further to taste if necessary.
That's it - it's now ready to serve!  You can garnish each bowlful with a slice of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil or a sprig or two of fresh coriander.  Serve with chunky rustic bread.

So delicious!