best slow cooker recipes please!

[elliott]

that's all really - to help me get the most out of my new present

i`m watching this thread for similar reasons!!

bump!

We sent ours back - my Mum had one in the 70's 80's and DH in his wisdom (they have that don't they, that far look in the eyes which says "I'm bored and want to spend some money/have a good idea which I will not follow through..!!") went off to buy one.
I got out all the old books from my mum with casseroles and soups and casseroles and soups and casseroles and soups, and thought if I want to eat a 6.00pm I'm going to have to start preparing this a 10.00am in order to start it off or the night before, sod that and we got a steam iron instead!

I got this one off mumsnet and keep putting it on, but here goes

Chicken cacciatore - chicken pieces/breast/or diced chicken, tin of tomatoes, red wine, bacon, onion, garlic gorgeous.

Jamie Oliver 'Gasman Stew'(roughly from memory) with beef or pork plus potatoes and any veggies you like plus cumin, paprika, rosemary and fresh squeezed juice of a couple of oranges beaaautiful (BTW JO recommends NOT browning the meat first, he says it goes against all his cookery training but turns out to be much tastier, and I totally agree - plus, what's the point of a sloww cooker if you have to cook everything first?

beef curry

enough stewing steak to feed your family
an onion, chopped/sliced
few mushrooms, quartered
couple of potatoes cut into quarters
tin of tomatoes or 500ml passata
2xtbsps medium curry powder

toss cubed meat in flour and fry in a little oil until sealed. Mix curry powder into passata in a jug or bowl.
Throw all ingredients into slow cooker in morning and cook on low until tea-time.

Voila!

I also read recently (last week) that you should also pre-cook the spices and onions to intensify flavour, so I'd probably fry the onions and curry powder together in a little oil (SIL uses a little apricot jam to cook spices in - also works nicely) before transferring to slow cooker. However, if time is short (and mine often is), then just chucking the lot in uncooked (as above) works well too.

thanks for these - anyone any more?
jiminycricket - do you fry up the bacon first?
I usually do Jools favourite beef stew but will have another look at the gasman one.
I've tried a couple of things in the slow cooker now - seems to be goign ok but haven't quite got the knack of how much liquid to put in. Also, mine instructs you to heat up the liquid first - is thsi really always necessary? Could do without washing up the extra pan

I find that half a pint of liquid is enough generally (was in my booklet, which I've now lost).

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You got a recipe meggymoo? Sounds gorgeous.

I do casseroles - basically

beef/chicken (amount def on no of ppl eating)
a carrot or two chopped up
leeks
sweed
onion
pulses (u have to soak these thou)
and one of those packet mix thingys.

if it's beef I do it on low from about 10am till 6 when DH comes in chicken is less, also do dumplings and pots (I chuck the dumplings in about and hour b4 serving and the pots (par boiled) about half hour b4 serving) with crusty bread it's yummy!

also have done pork chops - literally just with a packet sauce over it, bit of onion/leeks. then do veg/mash seperate. I love my one.

did a joint of beef as well - but it was over cooked - v nice thou.

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Sounds delish. Do you thicken it at all?

Bumping this thread as i have one but no inspiration.

Joanna4 just go for it. Chop up a load of veg you've got lurking in the 'frig together with some cubed meat or chicken portions, add half a pint of stock glug of wine (or bit more stock) stick the lid on and voila. Bet you wont be disappointed. I thicken mine at the end when it is bubbling away by just adding a tablespoon of cornflour or two mixed with water. You really cant go wrong just experiment. Also you can just bung a whole chicken in and leave it to pot roast with nothing else and it will be succulent and divine. Go on I dare you.

So for beef stew do i just brown the meat in a pan to seal it. Chop up veg in small pieces and place it at the bottom with meat on top and then just add the stock, seasoning etc What setting should i put it on and how long does it take. Its my first time using one of these so dreading the results any advice adice or tips will be appreciated...