It’s cold, dark and wet outside. January bites… but there is light – just a glimmer, but it’s shining bright and we call it dinner! Slow-cooked dinner to be precise, and it’s Slow Cooking Month, so what better excuse than to share some of our favourite cosiest, most wholesome slow cooker dinners?
Not that we need an excuse to bring the slow cooker out of hibernation, but National Slow Cooking Month in January is a great reason to start concocting delicious winter meals.
For crock-pot veterans, or even if you’re new to slow cooking, January is the perfect time to treat the family to tender, restorative, warming winter dinners. They may take all day to make, but that’s the beauty of the crock-pot. You can throw in the ingredients in the morning, turn the dial, go to work, or to the gym, or out with friends, come home and ta da….dinner is done! And you can even sleep while you cook! Chuck the ingredients in at bedtime, flick the switch and let your trusty slow cooker do the hard graft overnight while you’re in the land of nod. There’s nothing like waking to a gorgeous smell of home-cooked deliciousness filling the house.
Sound too good to be true? It is true, we promise. And it’s worth every minute. It also doesn’t use much energy as it cooks on a really low heat. Cooking meat or veg for hours makes it so much more tender, juicy and bursting with soft, warm, mellow flavour.
As a January treat, here are some slow cooker recipes to make life a little easier and a lot more delicious!
Classic slow cooker stew
What you need
- 1kg cubed beef
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 2 celery sticks
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Bunch of parsley, chopped
How to cook
Fry the onion and celery in oil until they start to soften and brown. Add the bay leaf and carrots, then the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce. When the vegetables are soft, pour them into your slow cooker and add about 600-700ml boiling water, and season with salt and pepper.
Fry the beef lightly in batches until it’s browned on the outside then add the meat to the slow cooker. Cook on medium for 8-10 hours.
Thicken the gravy with a little cornflour and cook for an extra half an hour on high before stirring in the parsley and serving with rice.
Hearty slow cooker pumpkin soup
What you need
- 1kg pumpkin or butternut squash cut into cubes – this can be a bit of a job, especially with the squash, so why not buy the ready peeled and chopped packs from the supermarket?
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 onions, chopped
- 40g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 can coconut milk
How to cook
Heat the oil in a large pan with the onions and ginger for 8-10 mins, then add the garlic and curry powder and continue to cook for a few minutes. Tip the mixture into your slow cooker and add all the remaining ingredients along with 2 litres of water. Cook for 8-10 hours on medium then blitz with a hand blender until smooth.
Simple old-style Viennese slow cooker red cabbage
What you need
- 1 red cabbage, quartered and finely shredded with core removed
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 50g brown soft sugar
- 2 tbsp strawberry jam
- 75ml white or red wine vinegar
How to cook
Put the cabbage into the slow cooker, then add the cinnamon, jam, sugar and some salt and pepper. Pour in the vinegar and cook on medium for 4-5 hours until the liquid has reduced.
So, dust off your crock-pot and enjoy a cosy, warm and delicious Slow Cooking Month.