In my slow cooker today...

ClaireLR

Oh yes post us your casserole recipe, I lurve casserole/stew type meals

mandy_moo_1

ooh yes please! i love beef casserole :drool:

Quasar

Ohhhh I'm a very recent slow cooker convert. Never made such succulent, delicious stews! :j Beef in wine casserole is one of my faves. :drool:

It's a steamer too, so now my cooked veggies taste even better.

mrbadexample

ClaireLR wrote: »

Oh yes post us your casserole recipe, I lurve casserole/stew type meals

Stew.

Penelope_Penguin

I only ever use my slow cooker in the summer; I have a Rayburn in the winter

There's an older thread where people share what's in their SC :drool: :drool: :drool: not literally, unfortunately I'll merge this on to that.

Penny. x

lbt_2

Hiya

Glad to hear that you are all still using your slow cookers - I thought that most people put them away in the summer

For my beef casserole, I use:

600-700g stewing/braising steak (diced, not too small)
3 large or 4 medium onions
6/7 carrots
5/6 parsnips
plain flour
1 1/2 pints of beef stock
olive oil

Method:
1. Chop the carrots and parsnips into bite sized chunks (not too small), and put straight into the slow cooker
2. Add the beef to the slow cooker (I don't brown mine - slow cooking is meant to save me time )
3. Roughly chop the onions, and fry gently in some olive oil until they are soft but not coloured
4. Add as much plain flour as you think you can get away with! (I love a thick sauce so I use quite a lot - see note below)
5. Gradually add the beef stock and simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken, and add to the slow cooker.
6. Cook on high for an hour or so, then cook on low for 7 hours stirring occassionally (even though I have a glass lid, I can't resist a peak!)

Don't worry if your gravy is a bit lumpy from the flour - these lumps come out in the cooking and are nowhere to be seen by the time your food is ready to eat.

I use quite a lot of flour when I make my sauce, so that the consistency is almost as thick as yoghurt when I put it into the slow cooker. The extra liquid produced in the cooking makes it a perfect thick sauce.

Would love to know how you get on if you try this recipe - it's my favourite.

lbt_2

Forgot to say, if you want, you can add herb dumplings too - I have started growing some herbs (and fruit & salad) in the garden.

I often cook big batches of beef casserole for the freezer, and either add the dumplings to the slow cooker for the last hour on high, or put an individual portion of casserole in an oven proof dish and put the dumplings on top, then cook for 25-30 mins on 200 degrees.

I just follow the recipe on the back of the reduced fat Atora packet, and add a few fresh herbs - either thyme or oregeno. I always buy reduced fat because I had never had dumplings before so I figure I wouldn't know the difference.

lbt_2

I have Sweet Potato and Chickpea soup in mine today. I don't normally do soups in the SC because I don't really see the benefit if you have to fry onions etc anyway, but this one, you just chop the veg and chuck it in and switch the slow cooker. Hope it's nice - it smells delicious!

Tomorrow I am going to cook Breakfast Fruit, to go with the Lazy Porridge I am going to do the following day.

Can you tell that I have a new slow cooker cookbook? I have my regular recipes that I do all the time but it is nice to try new things too.

So, what's in your slow cooker today?

lauren_1

A rather huge peice of frying steak (got it frfom the butchers for £1 because it was an odd shape and a bit uneven, plus he was closing in 3 mins)

Rolled up snd tied to resemble a small brisket, baby onions, carrots, celery, new pots, red lentils and some green beans to add later.

Made some very watery bisto (got no oxo) and a good glug of red wine.

DD is on making the breadrolls, god i'm so hungry...it smells divine

sarahf191979

Nothing so Fancy here today, just a good old beef stroganoff. Smells good though I must say. Just got to decide what to put with it now....???