From the ArcaMax Publishing, Recipes by Zola Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/zola/s-169376-637233
The Crock Pot...To Use or Not to Use...
Editor's Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Zola was not able to
file a new column and recipe this week. Please enjoy this previously
published Zola favorite.
I've never been much for crock pot cooking. When they first came out I
thought they made the kitchen smell "funny". They solved that.
Then I realized the reason I didn't use a crock pot was because I
wanted to be more "involved" in the meal. The idea of chopping things
up and tossing them in a pot and letting it cook on its own really
didn't appeal to my sensibilities or my taste buds.
When some of the new crock pots came out in the last few years I
decided to dive back in. I got two of them. I begged my husband for
the longer, oval one. My theory was that I was going to cook ribs etc.
in it so I needed the longer version. My husband, clever guy that he
is, gave it to me on Easter. The crock pot was my Easter basket;
filled with other treats and of course, plastic grass. I loved
it...for awhile. The challenge was the pot was so big I could only use
it for parties. There was just too much room in there for a meal for
two and I'm not into freezing leftovers. Needless to say, that one
doesn't get used very often.
Then last year, he bought me the smaller round one. I liked it much
better for cooking for two but I forget I have it. It sits in the
cupboard a lot - out of site out of mind.
My assistant Amy got talking about crock pot meals one day and asked
me if I had any crock pot meal cookbooks. She borrowed the two I have
and took down some recipes. We didn't discuss it much after that until
yesterday. I told her I decided to invent my first crock pot meal. I
was never very thrilled with the recipes I had read so I decided to
break out on my own. Amy and I agreed on three things related to crock
pot meal recipes, A) They were usually bland; B) The food came out
mushy; or C) Both. This discussion took place while I was inventing my
crock pot meal so I took this to heart.
This dish is very easy to make. It better be or it doesn't deserve to
be a crock pot meal! All you have to do is brown the meat and then
time adding the mushrooms. Walk away from your crock pot and dinner
will cook itself.
At the end of preparation, you have the option of making pasta to
serve the sauce/stew on top. I guarantee this is a flavor-filled dish.
It's fancy enough to serve to company and the veggies, if done
properly, will not be mushy.
A note on the Italian sausage: I like my sausage "loose"; not in a
casing like a wiener. I slice the casing and take out the meat and
break it up into once inch blobs. You don't need to make little
meatballs; just break up the meat into chunks like you'd find on a
pizza. Sweet Italian sausage is not sugary it's just not as spicy as
hot sausage. You make this dish with all sweet sausage if you don't
like too much spice. I love hot food but I would not recommend you
make this with all hot or it will be very VERY spicy.
Italian Crock Pot Stew
2 Tbl olive oil
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, broken into
bites
3/4 pound hot Italian sausage, broken into bites
2
small, six inch zucchini cut into one half inch rings
1 red,
yellow or orange bell pepper cut into one-inch chunks
1/2 a
medium onion cut into chunks (it will fall apart later)
1 tsp
garlic (jar garlic is fine)
28 oz chopped Italian tomatoes. I
use canned organic with the juice
2 tsp Italian spice blend
8 oz thickly sliced large button mushrooms; or small button
mushrooms cut in half
11/2 cups Italian cheese blend
4
Tbl of fresh basil cut into thin slices (a.k.a chiffonade)
Optional: Cooked pasta - your choice of noodle. Penne, rigatoni,
fettuccine, or other.
On the side: Garlic bread and salad
Put the broken up sausage and the olive oil in a large sauté
pan. Toss. Cook on medium high until both sides of the sausage are
browned. You don't need to cook the sausage all the way through. It
will finish in the crock pot. The reason to sauté it ahead is
to get a nice brown crust on it so it will be visually appealing. My
secret is to leave it alone while it gets the crust on it. Don't toss
it around too much. This will take about 3 minutes per side.
When the meat is browning you can cut up all of your veggies. You'll
have plenty of time.
When the sausage is done put half of it in the crock pot. Layer in the
zucchini, pepper onion and garlic. Then add the other half of the
sausage. Top it all with the tomatoes. Just open the can and pour it
on juice and all. Add the Italian spices and stir to get it all mixed
up.
Put the top on the crock pot and cook on high heat for one and a half
hours. When that time is up add the mushrooms and stir again. The
crock pot will be rather full so be careful when you are stirring.
Just poke the mushrooms into the hot liquid if you need to. The reason
not to put the mushrooms in too soon is you don't want them to
over-cook and get mushy. Put the top back on and let it cook another
one and a half hours on high. Most crock pot recipes say cook 8 hours
on low or 4 hours on high. My theory is if you cook 3 hours on
high...maybe a few minutes more, your veggies will still have some
bite to them. That's a good idea when zucchini is involved. Another
secret to crock pot cooking. Don't peak. The more you open the top,
the longer it will take to cook. Some say you add 15 minutes to the
cooking time every time you open to peek or stir. At the three hour
point pull out a piece of your veggies. If you like them then your
meal is done. If they are a little too crunchy, cook for up to 30
minutes more.
If you need to cook this while you are at work I would best suggest
you plan on 7 hours on low. Or start it on your lunch hour if your
commute is short. And keep in mind mushy is not all bad. If you can't
get home the meal will still taste great. It will just be softer.
When the crock pot cooking is done you can cook your pasta in boiling
water and serve it under the Italian stew. The stew will be great in
large soup bowls with no pasta if you prefer. Either way, when you put
your stew in the bowl you'll be topping it with the cheese and then
the fresh basil.
Serve with garlic bread and a quick salad and you have a gourmet meal.
Cheers,
Zola