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TheChef’sTable By Norene Gilletz

Slow Cookers: Not Just for Cholent

Slow cookers come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Most models are dishwasher-safe and quite easy to clean. If your conventional oven is full, a slow cooker can provide a wonderful alternative for long-cooking dishes such as stews and pot roasts.

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley Autumn Vegetable Soup 1 clove garlic (about 1 teaspoon minced) Yields 8 to 10 servings 1. Heat oil in a large soup pot on medium heat. Sauté onion, celery, and carrots for 5 minutes or until vegetables are ten- This scrumptious soup from Valerie Kanter of Chicago is der, stirring occasionally. (To cook it in the slow cooker, see wonderful any time of year. Her family loves it, especially method and cooking times, below.) her children who devour two or three bowlfuls at one sitting. 2. Add sweet potatoes, squash, mushrooms, and zucchinis; It’s perfect to serve for lunch or supper in the sukkah on mix well. Chol Hamoed. 3. Add water, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 2 2 tablespoons olive oil hours, stirring occasionally. If the soup becomes too thick, 1 large onion, chopped add a little more water. Remove bay leaves and discard. 2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped 4. Using a potato masher, coarsely mash the vegetables 6 medium carrots (1 pound), peeled and chopped while still in the pot, leaving the soup somewhat chunky. 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks Stir in the dill, parsley, and garlic. Serve hot. 1 medium butternut or acorn squash, peeled and cut in Keeps up to 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator; reheats chunks (about 5 cups) 1 cup sliced mushrooms and/or freezes well. 2 medium zucchinis, cut in chunks 10 cups water Slow-Cooker Method: At the end of step 1, combine all in- 4 to 6 bay leaves gredients in the insert of a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste) hours, or 4 hours on high. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Short Cuts: To make it easier to cut a squash, slash the 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill tough outer skin in several places with a sharp knife. Mi- crowave it, uncovered, on high for 4 to 5 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, and then cut it in half or in large pieces. Re- Norene Gilletz is a cookbook author and culinary consultant in Toronto. She is the author of nine cookbooks. For more information, move the seeds and stringy fibers—an ice-cream scoop visit her web site at www.gourmania.com. works perfectly.

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Super Roast Brisket Yields 10 to 12 servings

Love it tender? You’ll love this tried-and-true family fa- vorite! It’s excellent any time of year and is a sure-fire hit for the holidays.

5 to 6 pounds brisket, well-trimmed 2 or 3 cloves garlic 1 small onion, halved 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice 1/4 cup red wine 1/4 cup oil 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup cola 3 tablespoons ketchup 2 to 3 teaspoons salt (to taste) 1 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place brisket in the sprayed insert of a slow cooker. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process onion and garlic until minced. Add remaining ingredients and process a few Meat stew seconds longer to blend. Pour over brisket, making sure to cover Photos: Estee Gestetner all surfaces. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Baste occasionally.

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Place insert in the slow cooker and cook, covered, on low Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add for 10 to 12 hours until tender. onions and sauté for 4 minutes, until softened. Add peppers, When cool, refrigerate. Brisket will be easier to slice the mushrooms, and garlic, and sauté 3 or 4 minutes longer. next day. Remove hardened fat and discard. Reheat brisket Transfer sautéed vegetables to the sprayed insert of a slices in pan gravy. slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook Keeps 3 days in the refrigerator; freezes well. on low for 3 to 4 hours. Reheats and/or freezes well. Chicken Chili Yields 10 to 12 servings

This chili comes together quickly and makes a big batch. To save time, prepare all the vegetables in the food processor.

2 tablespoons olive oil 2 medium onions, chopped 2 red bell peppers, chopped 2 cups sliced mushrooms 3 cloves garlic, minced The Highs and Lows: A slow cooker cooks foods at a 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes low heat ranging from 200°F to 300°F in a tightly 1 can (5 1/2 ounces) tomato paste sealed, moist environment. 1 cup tomato sauce The Full Factor: Slow cookers tend to work best when 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch chunks they’re 2/3 to 3/4 full. The more you fill it, the longer it 1 can (19 ounces), black beans, drained and rinsed will take for the contents to cook. 1 can (19 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed Frozen Facts: It’s not a good idea to cook frozen roasts 1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste) or chicken in a slow cooker because it takes too long for Salt and pepper to taste the meat to thaw and reach a safe temperature. It’s 1 teaspoon dried basil much better to thaw them first in the refrigerator, al- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano lowing 6 hours for each pound of meat. 1 teaspoon brown sugar Chicken Info: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts get dry and tough if they are cooked too long in a slow cooker (thighs won’t dry out as quickly). Boneless Vegetable soup chicken pieces take 3 to 4 hours on low. Cut-up chicken on the bone takes 4 to 6 hours on low. Soup’s On! Slow cookers are super for making large quantities of soup. Some recipes call for sautéing the vegetables first, so do this step in a skillet, then transfer the sautéed veggies to the slow cooker and add the re- maining ingredients. Less Liquid Needed: Reduce the amount of liquid by about 25 percent in your regular recipe to compensate for the fact that there will be little evaporation during cooking. If there’s too much liquid left, uncover for the last hour of cooking and cook on high setting. Or you can strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and cook it uncovered on top of the stove over high heat until reduced. No Peeking! Each time you lift the lid during cooking, it prolongs the cooking time by an additional 20 minutes. Slow Cooker Conversion Times: If your recipe calls for 15 to 30 minutes of conventional cooking, slow-cook it for 4 to 8 hours on low or 1 1/2 to 2 hours on high. If your recipe calls for 30 to 60 minutes, slow-cook it for 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high. If it calls for 2 to 3 hours, slow-cook it for 8 to 12 hours on low or 4 to 6 hours on high.

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Variation: Replace chicken breasts with 4 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey. Add to chili the last 30 minutes of cooking. If desired, you can also add 1 cup well-drained canned or frozen corn at this time. Stew Italiano Yields 6 servings Wishing you

Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you. This scrumptious and your family stew is quite simple to assemble—you can even do it the night before and refrigerate it, then put it up to cook in the morning. ahealthy,happy, It’s lick-the-spoon good! prosperous and 1/2 cup flour sweet new year. 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 1/2 pounds lean stewing beef or veal, cut in 1-inch chunks 2 tablespoons oil (plus more as needed) 2 medium onions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup red wine Additional salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon brown or granulated sugar SUPERMARKETS 4 carrots, scraped and cut in 1-inch chunks Stores located in CT, MA, NH, NY, PA & VT. To find a location near you, please visit www.pricechopper.com. 2 cups mushrooms, cut up 4 potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks 1 additional tablespoon oil 1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes (with liquid)

Combine flour, salt, paprika, and pepper in a plastic bag. Add a few pieces of meat at a time and shake to coat well on all sides. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add onions and garlic and sauté over medium heat until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to the sprayed insert of a slow cooker. Add meat to Dutch oven a few pieces at a time and brown on all sides. Remove meat from pot as ready, adding more oil to pot if needed. Add browned meat to slow cooker insert. Add wine to Dutch oven and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Add pan juices to slow cooker along with salt, pepper, basil, oregano, bay leaf and sugar. Stir in tomatoes. In a large bowl, combine sliced carrots, mushrooms and potatoes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Mix well and wrap tightly in foil. Place foil packet on top of meat. (Can be assembled up to this point and refrigerated overnight.) Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Remove bay leaf. Carefully unwrap vegetables and stir into stew just before serving. Keeps for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator and freezes well. If freezing, omit potatoes and serve stew over broad noodles, rice or quinoa. g NCSY is the international youth movement of the OU

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