I (Rebecca) found this theme to be one of the easiest themes I've ever hosted for the supper club. I was done with all of my "cooking" by 11am and had nothing to do until everyone showed up! For the main course, I decided on a vegetarian pesto lasagna that I adapted from the blog A Year of Slow Cooking. I was intrigued by the idea of cooking a lasagna in a slow cooker as I think it might be handy for days when I'm out and wanting dinner to be ready when I get home. To prepare the lasagna, a small amount of spaghetti sauce is ladled into the bottom of the pot. Layers of uncooked lasagna noodles, low fat ricotta mixed with basil pesto, fresh spinach, sliced part skim mozzarella and more spaghetti sauce are laid into the pot until it reaches the top and a final layer of noodles sauce and cheese finish it off. The lasagna is then covered and cooked on low for 5-6 hours until the noodles are tender and the cheese is bubbly. That's it! The lasagna came out pretty well. My slow cooker is a 3 1/2 quart, tall cooker so the lasagna layers were pretty deep. I think this would come out better in a more oblong cooker, but it was still surprisingly effective. It won't replace oven-cooked lasagna when I'm home to bake it, but I think it's a definite possibility for busier days!
Slow Cooker Pesto Spinach Lasagna
Serves 8
1 (26-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce
1 (10-ounce) box lasagna noodles
1 (11-ounce) container or homemade pesto
1 (15-ounce) container low fat ricotta cheese
1 (12-ounce) bag baby spinach
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
16 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 cup water
Combine pesto and ricotta in a small bowl. Put a spoonful of pasta sauce (about 1/4 cup) into the bottom of a 4qt. slow cooker and swirl it around. Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break them up as needed to fit). Smear some of the ricotta & pesto mixture onto the noodles. Add a handful or two of baby spinach, and top with a layer of Parmesan and sliced mozzarella cheeses. Repeat layers until you've run out of ingredients. The spinach may need to be pressed down to make room.
Before closing the pot, put 1/4 cup of water into the empty pasta sauce jar and close and shake. Pour this saucy water over the top of everything. Put the cover on and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for about 3 to 4. You'll know it's done when the cheese is melted and bubbly and the noodles are tender. It will also pull a bit away from the sides.
Uncover, and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
I (Dani) brought Santa Fe Sweet Potato Soup from The Gourmet Slow Cook Volume II. I did modify the recipe slightly to make it a truely slow-cooker-only soup. I also found the doubling the recipe (to 8 servings instead of 4) fit better in the slow cooker that I have.
Santa Fe Sweet Potato Soup
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 Yellow Onion, chopped
4 medium Sweet Potatos, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
8 cloves Garlic
16 cups Chicken Stock
2 tsp Dried Oregano
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
12 whole Cloves
20 whole Allspice Berries
Salt
4 Jalapeño Pepper, seeded and chopped
½ cup Toasted Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)
1 cup Sour Cream
Directions:
Place onions, sweet potatoes, garlic, dried oregano, chili powder, all spice, cloves, cinnamon and chicken stock in the slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 8 hours.
Toast pepitas.
Pour mixture into blender and blend until smooth. Add salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and server hot topped with jalapeno, sour cream and pepitas.
*** If desired, prior to placing the onions and sweet potatoes into slow cooker, sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
I (Lauren) Brought a caprese salad made with homegrown tomatoes from my garden and some from our CSA share, basil from the CSA share, mozzarella, olive oil, and a little balsamic vinegar.
I (Kim) wanted to try bread in the slow-cooker. This bread came out more dessertlike, kind of like a gingerbread. It was not exactly what I'd intended, but turned out to be great with the Apple Confit that Lauren brought.Steamed Brown Bread
from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann
Serves 6
Steamed Brown Bread is one of those old-timey American foods that hardly anyone makes anymore. What a shame! It is the age-old Colonial favorite to serve with Boston Baked Beans. You can mix it up in just a few minutes and let it steam to moist perfection unattended. The only trick is finding a small pudding mold or heat-proof bowl that will fit inside your slow cooker with an inch or so of clearance all around. The space is necessary to allow the steam to circulate properly. A deep stainless-steel or ceramic bowl, about 1 1/2 quarts in capacity is perfect for this recipe. Whatever you choose to use as a mold, do not fill it all the way to the top. Your bread needs room to expand.
Some people shy away from recipes that call for molasses because it can be frustrating and messy to work with. If you have trouble getting the molasses into your measuring cup, warm it up to make it easier to pour. Put the open jar in the microwave and heat on HIGH for about 10 seconds, depending on your microwave. Keep watch to avoid boil-over. To make it easy to get out of the measuring cup, grease the cup first with a few drops of oil or a bit of nonstick cooking spray.
Slow Cooker: Medium or Large Round or Oval
Setting & Cook Time: High for 2-2 1/2 hours
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light molasses
1 cup whole milk ( I used 1%)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1. Grease and flour a 1 1/2-quart (6-cup) pudding mold, heat-proof bowl or small slow cooker crock that will fit inside your slow cooker with an inch or so of clearance all around.
2. In a medium-size bowl, beat the egg with a whisk. Add the sugar and molasses and continue to beat until thoroughly mixed. Beat in the milk. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, then add to the molasses mixture and stir just until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared mold. Place the cover on the mold, or cover it tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil; tie a string around the rim of the bowl to hold the foil in place.
3. Lower the mold into the slow cooker and carefully add enough water to come about 2-inches up the sides of the mold. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-2-1/2 hours. (Kim's note: I used a 6-cup Pyrex dish which would have been nearly impossible to gently remove to check at 2 hours so I just took it out at 2 1/2 hours and it was perfectly done at that time). To determine if bread is done, carefully remove lid or foil from the mold and gently touch the center of the bread. It should spring back into place. If your finger leaves an impression, re-cover the bread and cooker and continue to steam, check the bread at 30-minutes intervals.
4. When the bread is done, carefully transfer the mold to a rack and let the bread cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Run a table knife around the inside of the mold to loosen the bread. Invert onto a rack to remove the mold, then turn the bread right side up to cool. To serve, cut into wedges or slices.
I (Lauren again) made an apple confit from a recipe I found on Eating Well. I used Gala apples from my CSA share and added some raisins. I also brought some vanilla ice cream and the combination of the confit, the ice cream and the brown bread from Kim was fantastic. I found the slow cooker recipes inspiring and I will be doing more slow cooker recipes in the future.
