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Taking it slow and easy

By Faith Bahadurian
   I love my Crock-Pot. Oops, make that my Hamilton Beach slow cooker, since it’s not the original brand name appliance that gave rise to a whole new industry in the 1970s.
   Today, basic models can be had for under $20, although fancy programmable ones can cost $100 and up. I went without one for years, but then bought a very simple 3- or 4-quart model with just “low,” “high” and “keep warm” settings, about 15 years ago, giving myself permission to leave home while it was on, which I never do with the stove or oven. Added bonus: it doesn’t heat up the whole kitchen the way an oven does.
   I use my slow cooker to make Armenian herisah, a dish of poultry and hulled wheat that turns into substantial peasant food. It’s a whiz with pork shoulder for Mexican carnitas or pulled pork for barbecue, and ideal for Chinese congee, that wonderful rice porridge that gets you through most of the day. Chili and baked beans are no-brainers, and while I haven’t tried it yet, I’m thinking about grits that you soak for 8 hours and then cook on High for 2 to 2 ½ hours. (Once the grits are done, you can add a touch of cream and butter and, if you like, grated sharp cheddar.)
   I tend to avoid dishes that require pre-browning ingredients on the stove before loading up the cooker, as is the case with things like boeuf bourguignon. But then, my friend Carolyn Edelmann wisely used her oven, rather than stovetop frying, to brown the meats for a delicious choucroute garnie in December before loading them, and the sauerkraut, into her slow cooker.
   Late last summer I came across the recipe below for Cornish hens cooked with port wine and fig preserves. That was fancier than anything I’d previously tried, so as soon as the weather cooled I made that and loved it.
   If you are cooking overnight or with a sauce that is likely to brown (especially if it contains sugar), spray or brush the inside of your slow cooker with oil before filling it. My ceramic insert often looks hopeless by the time my meal is ready, but all it needs is a soak and a quick scrub and it’s pristine again, ready for the next delicious dish.
Cornish Hen in Port
Wine and Fig Preserves
    Adapted from “Slow Cooking for Two,” Cynthia Graubart, Gibbs Smith (2013). Serves 2. My hens were quite small, so I doubled the recipe, serving it with a wild rice blend and a vegetable. — F.B.<br>
    1 Cornish game hen
   Salt
   Freshly ground black pepper
   2 sprigs fresh rosemary
   ¼ cup fig preserves
   ¼ cup port wine
    Oil or spray the inside of a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle hen with salt and pepper, insert rosemary into cavity, transfer to slow cooker. Combine preserves and wine in a small bowl and pour over hen. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning; serve sauce over hen.
Slow-Cooked Salmon
with Lemon and Green Olives
    Adapted from “The French Slow Cooker,” Michele Scicolone, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2012) 6 servings. This recipe just sounds so delicious that I included it even though I don’t usually think of using the slow cooker for dishes that don’t require a lot of time in the first place. The advantage to slow cooking fish (as with poaching, too) is that the proteins don’t “seize up” the way they do with high-heat methods, so the fish remains tender and moist. — F.B.
    1 large lemon
   2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
   ½ cup water
   1 thick salmon fillet (about 2 pounds), cut in 6 pieces
   2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sauce
    2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
   1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
   ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
   ½ cup chopped pitted green olives
   1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
   1 tablespoon chopped rinsed capers
    Spray the bottom of a large slow cooker with cooking spray. Thinly slice lemon, discarding seeds. Scatter half the shallots in the cooker and add half the lemon slices and water. Rub the salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place the salmon, skin side down, in the slow cooker. Scatter remaining lemon slices and shallots on top. Cover and cook on low for 60 to 75 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through.
   For sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the oil with the lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper to taste. Add olives, parsley and capers. Transfer salmon to dinner plates and drizzle with the sauce. Especially good at room temperature over a bed of greens.
Chicken and Wild
Rice Slow Cooker Soup
    Adapted from 100daysofrealfood.com. 8-10 servings The author points out that this recipe is very adaptable, you can use carrots instead of celery, chicken thighs instead of breasts, or even omit the cream, I’d say, although it’s just a modest amount. I’d maybe substitute a half cup of white wine for that much chicken broth. — F.B.<br>
    ½ medium onion, diced
   3 celery ribs, diced
   6 to 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced or diced
   5 cloves garlic, minced
   1 cup whole grain wild rice
   1 pound raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
   1 teaspoon salt
   ½ teaspoon pepper
   8 cups chicken broth or stock
   ½ cup heavy cream
   Optional topping: Toasted almonds
    In a slow cooker, place the onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic, rice, raw chicken, salt, and pepper. Pour the broth over top. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Stir in the cream, ladle into soup bowls and top with toasted almonds (if using).
    Faith Bahadurian blogs at http://njspice.net (also Twitter @njspice).