Slow Cooker Sundays

[LulaPalooza]

One of the few things I like about winter is Slow Cooker Sundays... I never use it in the Summer and today is the first day I have got it out since March, I think.

I like pottering about on a Sunday morning chopping stuff, browning meat and veg and then bunging it all in the slow cooker for a few hours.

I am doing a sort of middle eastern inspired beef casserole - stewing beef browned in lots of spices, fresh chilli (home grown!), mushrooms, peppers, onions, garlic, tin of tomatoes, beef stock, potatoes.

Will bung in some chickpeas an hour before I am due to serve it. Will probably serve it with rice as DH hates couscous (why? why would anyone hate couscous? he's weird).

Anyone else got their slow cooker out today? If so, what are you cooking in it?

[rabbitonthemoon]

Not today...but did a lovely chicken and chorizo paella last week. Put the rice in for about half an hour when I got home and threw in some fine green beans. Yum. Liking the sound of your tea.

[LulaPalooza]

Paella in the slow cooker? Never though of doing that! Sounds delicious. I love anything that has chicken and chorizo in it!

[AngelsWithSilverWings]

I've currently got a gammon joint and half a bag of brown sugar in mine at the moment so hopefully something edible will come out if it at around 5pm.

Never tried this before but found the recipe on a mumsnet thread last week - fingers crossed!

[AngelsWithSilverWings]

Really don't know why I wrote currently and at the moment in the same sentence! Sorry

[LulaPalooza]

It's Sunday, you're forgiven for minor grammar faux pas

I think I posted on that gammon thread just now. I love gammon in the slow cooker. Turning it every now and again helps a lot, otherwise it can stick to the bottom of the pot.

[AngelsWithSilverWings]

Yes I've been turning it regularly - in fact I feel like I've been hovering over it since 8 o'clock this morning. Sort of defeats the object of using the slow cooker really but I'm a bit fascinated by it.

[Panadbois]

I have stewing steak in mine, to be served with cheesy mash later.

We never ever not have Sunday lunch,but fancied a change today.

[LulaPalooza]

Mmmmmmmmmmm cheesy mash! Maybe I should do mash instead of rice...

[rabbitonthemoon]

Totally hijacking the sundayness of this thread but I feel happy to have found slow cooker lovers and ideas. This week I'm making this

But wonder if it will go dry? Last Sunday we had beef in beer with mushrooms which worked well.

[LulaPalooza]

Hijack away, rabbit... a slow cooker is not just for Sunday, after all!

Beef in beer sounds delish. The cashew chicken sounds really good too. I think you would need to keep a v close eye on it and keep the lid on as much as possible (tricky for me as DH likes to poke and stir and keeps taking the ruddy lid off)

[ethelb]

We had slow cooker Friday and Saturday.

We had this last night: www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/exotic/american/boston-baked-beans.html

And this on Friday: www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/slow_cooker_chickpea_12414
I would thoroughly recommend the bnut squash tagine. You don't fry off the onions, just the garlic and spices and DP is asking for more even though we have had it two weeks running. Though add half a cup of water as the recipe is a little dry.

Next week will see bbq pulled pork done midweek and a gammon joint done for Sunday lunch.

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

I did pulled pork in mine this week, was delicious. I'll be using it tomorrow to do the filling for chicken and leek pie.

Love my slow cooker:)

[AngelsWithSilverWings]

Well the gammon slow cooked in sugar was a massive success! 7 year old DS would have eaten the whole joint on his own if I'd let him.

We had it with steamed new potatoes ,cabbage, leeks and broccoli.

DH wants to know why it's taken 16 years of marriage for me to finally cook him some gammon.

The kids can have the leftovers with poached eggs and beans tomorrow.

Next time I'll try the cola recipe.

[AngelsWithSilverWings]

The pulled pork sounds good - would anyone like to share the recipe?

[NettoSpookerstar]

I'm making a venison pie filling in mine tomorrow.
Tonight am using leftover pulled pork I cooked in it to make tonnata, with homemade bread and salad.

[HappyTurquoise]

I did a Greek inspired casserole last time I used mine.

[dylsmimi]

Hi
No slow cooler for us this week but like the idea of gammon and paella - do you have the recipes you can share?
I tend to do either beef casserole, sausage chilli or chicken, bacon, leeks & potatoes with condensed white wine & chicken soup.
My mum bought us the biggest slow cooler ever seen which is a bit of a pain - I could probably feed you all :)

[dylsmimi]

Cooker obviously not cooler that wouldn't be good in the winter!

[Pendulum]

Just had sausage casserole from mine- cooked them with onions, mushrooms and a bag of diced carrot and swede (one of the ones you're supposed to boil and mash). A bit of stock and wine, and we came back from a long walk to all sorts of deliciousness.

[LulaPalooza]

All fantastic ideas, ladies. Might do pulled pork next weekend. Haven't done that for a while

Glad your gammon turned out well, Angels

[rabbitonthemoon]

I made the paella one up. But roughly, I fried up an onion and two cloves garlic, then two chopped chicken breasts, half a cooked chorizo. Then whacked in box of passata, a chicken stock cube, a good dollop of paprika and a pinch of saffron and a pinch of chilli flakes. That bubbled all day. When I got home I added paella rice (a cup for two I think) and approx a pint of stock and moved it over to the hob for 30-40 mins. In the last 5 mins I added some green beans, which felt random at the time but was actually really nice. The rice stage did need a bit of watching and stirring. It was tasty! For an easier version I do the same kind of thing but add a tin of chickpeas at the start, skip the rice bit and mop it up with crusty bread.

[TodaysAGoodDay]

I served up a leg of lamb at 5.30, the SC does lamb joints so well, as long as you take the fat off first. Yummy

[GeeandTee]

I have always been too scared to put a joint in without liquid as the instruction manual says meat should be covered in liquid. Can I jus ignore this then?

[RVPisnomore]

We've just finished a beef madras which had been cooking in the slow cooker for 7 hours, delicious.......

Roll on next Sunday for my next slow cooker delight!

[swooosh]

pulled pork

done in the oven though, not slow cooker although it could be adjusted to be done in slow cooker?