Category: Uncategorized

Slow Cooker Baked Ziti with Sausage and Peppers

Posted on by elltee

Serves 6.  

Cooking Time : 3 hours on high

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb italian sausage, removed from it’s casing

2 onions, minced

1 green bell pepper and 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2″ pieces.

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces ziti

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz) 

 

Directions

  1. Line slow cooker with aluminum foil collar and coat with vegetable oil spray.  Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown sausage well, breaking up large pieces with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.  Add onions, bell peppers, garlic, and oregano and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in tomatoes and heavy cream, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.  Stir in ziti (uncooked), salt, and pepper.
  3. Transfer ziti mixture to prepared slow cooker and spread tomato sauce evenly over pasta.  Cover and cook until pasta is tender, about 3 hours on high.
  4. Remove foil collar.  Gently stir pasta, adding hot water as needed to loosen sauce consistency.  Sprinke with mozzarella, cover, and let sit until melted, about 5 minutes.  Serve.

Note: Foil collar on inside of slow cooker is designed to evenly distribute heat and prevent the pasta from being burned.

Note: Use low moisture pre-shredded mozzarella, not fresh mozzarella in a solid block and packed in brine.

 

Stolen from “Slow Cooker Revolution, page 236, by America’s Test Kitchen.

 

Couscous Risotto with Chicken and Spinach

Posted on by elltee

Serves 4

  • Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly

1 1/2 cups pearl couscous

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups (2oz) baby spinach, chopped coarse

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (1 1/2 oz)

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Brown chicken on all sides, about 6 minutes; Transfer to bowl.
  2. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty pot over medium heat.  Add leeks and couscous and cook until leeks have softened and couscous is lightly toasted, 4 to 6 minutes.  Stir in broth and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally until couscous is tender, about 12 minutes.
  3. Stir in chicken and any accumulated juices and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.  
  4. Off heat, stir in spinach, Parmesan, peas, and cream and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Serve.

Note: Pearl couscous is often labeled “Israeli couscous” in the supermarket.  Do not substitute regular couscous, as it requires a different cooking method and will not work here.

Note: To clean leeks:

  • lay trimmed, halved leeks cut side down on a cutting board and cut to desired size. 
  • Transfer leeks to a bowl of cold water and rub together until layers separate.  Set aside for 1 minute to allow grit to settle to bottom of bowl. 
  • Lift leeks from water and transfer to colander to drain.  Do not pour leeks from bowl into colander, or you’ll pour dirt over them again.

 

Stolen from: “Cook it in your dutch oven”, page 21, by America’s Test Kitchen