Chef Martin Anderson
Are you a slow cooker?
Well not you personally but do you have a slow cooker and I don’t think anyone that’s reluctant to cook counts either !
I’m talking about the slow cooker appliance that’s making a comeback at the moment , just like the pressure cooker sometimes the old ways are the best.
I’ve been asked on many occasions what I think about slow cookers and like any piece of kitchen equipment when used correctly and with the right ingredients they are a fantastic way of cooking .
Many are given as presents , bought as a thoughtful gift or even given as a hint to the chef in the house , sometimes the hint isn’t taken and they are stored under the sink or in the garage !
If you have one and use it then you know the benefits , a simple bit of ingredient shopping and a bit of planning ahead and you can produce a fantastic all in one meal for the family , we all have hectic lifestyles and returning home to a well cooked tasty family meal can be the highlight of the day , put down the phones and tablets and sit around the table and enjoy .
Slow cookers can be used for stews, soups , cooking whole joints of meat , Currys , chilli or even slow cooking fruits for jams etc , some recipes suggest even cooking rice. Personally I’m not a fan of cooking rice in them I find it over cooks and to have it sitting all day warm isn’t appealing to me at all but that’s my opinion I’m sure some will argue that it’s fine, work away .
There were concerns years ago about the coating on the inside of the slow cooker as regards contaminating food but I find that if you follow the cleaning guidelines and follow the instruction manual then you will have no problems like any equip mane look after it properly and it will serve you well.
Cooking times vary for different items of food so again follow the guidelines and it should be fine.
Slow cookers also keep the food hot for you at the end of the cooking process, I would try and time it that the food is ready on your return home so that’s a 6-8hrs cooking and storing time , it is very important to get the cooked food out of the cooker and either serve it straight away or cool it quickly if it is not going to be eaten straight away , if there was a power cut chances the food would not be cooked properly and would lead to the food sitting warm in the cooker and increase the chances of bacterial growth causing food poisoning , this doesn’t happen very often , the power cut that is so ………… you will be fine.
The beauty about cooking in a slow cooker is that you can use cheaper cuts of meat as the cooking process will render them tender , it would be a shame to slow cook sirloin steak or even top quality rack of lamb.
Choose stewing steak , shoulder of pork , topside or silverside for a pot roast, Chicken fillets or legs can be used but remember they will cook quickly and if over cooked will simply fall apart and even become dry even if they are in a sauce.
For soups, stews or curries I always find its best to sauté the meat or vegetables off first it gives them a bit of colour and flavour otherwise they will simply stew in the cookery , this is also a great way to add extra herbs, spices and seasonings , So cook them off in a little flavoured oil or dressing first and then continue the recipe.
Many argue as well that the nutrients are cooked out of the food but I think that if you don’t use green vegetables which lose their colour quickly then this will be ok , the tight fitting lid will keep all the flavours , juices & nutrients in and it’ll be so tasty.
So this weeks recipe is very simple use your slow cooker and if you don’t have one a casserole dish will produce the same result , a good tight fitting lid is very important and make sure the fish fits into your oven .
On a personal note we are still getting over our sell out week with Jesus Christ superstar at an Grianan , such a wonderful week with fantastic performances from everyone at the Letterkenny Musical Society and of course a special thanks to the back stage & theatre crew and to you all for coming to see the show . You can see my performance of Herod’s son here
http://youtu.be/YXTlXqpb6TI
Braised shin of beef, spring vegetables with thyme and tomato
Allow 1 piece of shin beef on the bone per person.
You will also need a large casserole pot or slow cooker.
You will need.
Shin beef on the bone.
2 medium carrots, diced.
1 medium onion, chopped.
3 sticks of celery washed and sliced.
A bunch of thyme.
1 tin of chopped tomatoes.
50 g of puy lentils or dried barley.
2 glasses of white wine.
1 ½ pints of chicken stock.
2 cloves of chopped garlic
Seasoning.
30g of plain flour.
Fresh herbs , I use parsley , coriander or even basil if you wish.
Method.
Preheat your oven to 180c or get your slow cooker set up .
Dust your pieces of beef in the flour and seal in a hot pan in a little oil.
Place into your casserole or slow cooker.
In the same pan quickly seal off the fresh vegetable’s with the garlic.
Cook for a minute until lightly coloured .
Add to the meat then add the tomato’s, thyme, wine and hot chicken stock.
Cover and cook in the oven for 2 ½ hours or follow the guideline for your slow cooker but I think it will be a minimum of 6 hours or you can check to see if the meat is tender and falling off the bone. Either ways it will be ready .
When cooked remove the lid and stir in the herbs , serve with some creamy champ potato’s.
You may also use, diced stewing beef, lamb, pork or venison for this recipe,
Add a little paprika to the flour to give colour and flavour.
You may also use a dark beer instead of the wine.
