Tuesday, June 08, 2010

 
Master the Art of Slow Cooking with Allyson Gofton’s fantastic new book -  Slow

Allyson’s name is synonymous with tasty, presentable, easy-to-produce food that you can dish up for the family dinner or a special dinner party.
Now she takes us to a whole new level of scrumptious food with slow . These are tasty, nutritious, great-looking dishes that take very little time to prepare and are simmering away readying themselves while you are working, sleeping, out in the garden or off with the kids.

slow is a complete ‘how-to’ manual for slow cooking for the novice or experienced cook. The first few pages give tips on how to get the best out of your slow cooker or crock pot. Then it’s on to some of the big questions:

    * To brown or not to brown?
    * What cuts are best (are the cheaper ones as good)?
     * How best to use vegetables without turning them to mush?
    * How to cook successful cakes, puddings and other sweet delights?
    * What should you have in your pantry so you are always at the ready?
    * How to do the basics successfully: toppings, thickening and preparation

Plus there are over 180 mouth-watering recipes, ranging from soups desserts and everything in between. I am not at all surprised that this tit;e has been riding high on the best-seller list since the day it was published, it is a cracker! The biggest, and arguably the best slow cooker/crock pot title yet published.

About Allyson Gofton

 Allyson Gofton has been cooking for New Zealanders for over 20 years. During her varied career she has assisted Graham Kerr both here and abroad, and became the Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Nutrition Foundation. She was also Food Editor for Next magazine for many years and appeared nightly on our screens as presenter for ‘Food In a Minute’. Allyson has written 19 cookbooks, including the best-selling Bake, Cook and After Work Cookbook. She is a working mum with two young children and a very busy husband who love her home cooking and baking.



The publishers have kindly given me permission to feature the following two recipes, both ideal winter warmers, from Allyson's new book.

chicken & lentil curry


2 cups light-flavoured chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
8 chicken leg and thigh portions
1–2 red onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 cup red lentils
400-gram can chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander, optional
2 teaspoons ground cumin, optional
3–4 bunches fresh spinach
serves 8
preparation time 15 minutes
cooking time low 6–7 hours, high 3–4 hours, plus extra 20–30 minutes

The flavours of this simple curry are delicious. This easy recipe is one of my favourites in Slow.
Turn the slow cooker on to low to pre-warm for 15–20 minutes while gathering and preparing the ingredients.
Mix the stock or water and tamarind pulp together, kneading the tamarind until the water is murky. Strain to remove any fibrous material from the tamarind and set the brownish stock or water aside.
Remove the skin from the chicken if wished.
Scatter the onion and lentils into the pre-warmed slow cooker. Sit the chicken pieces on top.
Stir together the tamarind water with the tomatoes, curry powder, garlic, ginger and the coriander and cumin if using. Pour over the chicken and cover with the lid.
Cook on low for 6–7 hours or on high for 3–4 hours.
Tear the spinach leaves from the coarser stems. Rinse the leaves and stir into the curry. Cook on low for a further 20–30 minutes or until the spinach has just wilted and the curry is hot.
Serve sprinkled with a little chopped onion and chopped fresh coriander or toasted cashew nuts before serving with plenty of rice on the side.

variations
Use Indian-spiced canned tomatoes – they are great with this dish.
Use an Indian curry paste in place of curry powder.
Add ½–1 teaspoon chilli powder for a curry with more kick.

allyson’s tips
If a curry is too ‘chilli hot’, stir ½–1 cup of plain unsweetened yoghurt into the curry before serving. Do not allow the curry to boil once added, as the yoghurt will curdle and while the dish will not be ruined, it will look awful.
There is no need to soak lentils overnight, but it is a good idea to rinse them before cooking

spicy lamb with dried fruits

1 kilogram boneless lean lamb for casseroling
1 medium-sized eggplant
2 eating apples, peeled
2 onions, peeled and diced
3–4 juicy tomatoes, quartered
2 green capsicums, thickly sliced
½ cup dried apricots, chopped
½ cup pitted prunes, chopped
4–6 whole allspice berries or
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4–6 whole cloves or ½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 cup beef stock or water
½ cup lemon juice

serves 8
preparation time without browning 20 minutes
preparation time with browning 30 minutes
cooking time low 6–8 hours, high 3–5 hours

Redolent with the sweet spices used in classic Persian dishes, serve this lamb for a special night with pots of thick Greek-style yoghurt to accompany and piles of couscous.

Turn the slow cooker on to low to pre-warm while gathering and preparing the ingredients.
Cut the lamb and eggplant into 2.5–3-cm pieces. Cut the apples into quarters or sixths and cut away the core.
If wishing to brown the ingredients:
Heat a decent dash of oil in a large frying-pan. When hot, brown the lamb well on all sides. This is best done in batches so the lamb does not stew. Brown the onions well.
Into the pre-warmed slow cooker put the lamb, eggplant, apples, onions, tomatoes, capsicums, apricots, prunes, allspice berries or ground allspice, cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon, whole cloves or ground cloves, salt and pepper.
Add the stock or water and lemon juice, and gently lift the ingredients with a large spoon to mix as well as possible. Cover with the lid.
Cook on low for 6–8 hours or on high for 3–5 hours.
Serve garnished with plenty of parsley and a few pistachio or almond nuts with warm soft breads for soaking up the spiced juices.

variation

Use beef in place of lamb.
Use a pre-made Moroccan spice blend in place of all the spices, allowing about 2 tablespoons. Flavours will vary from brand to brand.

allyson’s tips
When fresh tomatoes are out of season, use a 400-gram can of chopped tomatoes.
The spices in the casserole are pretty up-front. If you are not accustomed to sweetly spiced meats, cut the amount of spices in half.

Copyright details
Reprinted with permission from slow by Allyson Gofton with photography by Alan Gillard. Published by Penguin Group (NZ). RRP NZ $49.99.
Available at all good booksellers nationwide. Copyright © Allyson Gofton, 2010.

Footnote:
Aucklanders will have the opportunity to hear Allyson speaking about her new book and slow cooking in conjunction with the Birkenhead Playcentre.
7.30pm Northcote College Hall, Kauri Glen Rd., Northcote, Auckland. $20. Enquiries 09 480 3058

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