Crock-Pots get 'smart' for busy cooks

In a little more than 35 years, slow cookers have evolved from the appliance equivalent of the Ice Age to the Space Age.

The first Crock-Pot was brown and basic, no frills. Today they are digital, programmable or "smart" and can be clad in stainless steel or brushed chrome, for instance. Several manufacturers have gotten in the act as well.

Rival rolled out the Crock-Pot in the early 1970s after buying a smaller company that made an electric ceramic bean cooker called The Beanery. The first advertising jingle was "It cooks all day while the cook's away."

Slow cookers have been a good friend over the years to those who were time-pressed or trying to eat more economically, since they accommodate tougher cuts of meat. They survived being a short-lived fad to claim permanent shelf space in many American kitchens.

Better yet, the number of slow cooker recipes continues to grow and the ingredients are getting more creative.

A West Ashley senior citizen has a renewed interest in this type of cooking because she can portion out meals and freeze them for later use. She asked for recipes to expand her repertoire, and several people stepped up to share.

Peggy E. Rozelle of Mount Pleasant can relate. She writes, "When my husband was finishing post-graduate work and working full time, and I was in graduate school and being Mom to our young children, I, too, turned to the Crock-Pot for help with my budget and family nutrition. Here are some of my recipes at that time copied from The Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal."

Peggy adds, "The sauce can be made before you leave home. When you get home, simply boil spaghetti, pop garlic bread in oven, and make a green salad."

Italian Meat Sauce

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck or beef

2 cloves garlic

2 large cans tomatoes (1-pound, 12-ounce cans)

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

6 ounces water

2 ribs celery with tops, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed

2 teaspoons basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1 bay leaf

Put all ingredients in the slow cooker, including the meat.

Stir thoroughly. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 18 hours, or on high for 6-8 hours.

Down South Barbecue

2 onions, sliced

4- to 5-pound pork roast or fresh picnic ham

5 to 6 cloves

2 cups water

1 (16-ounce) bottle barbecue sauce

1 large onion, chopped

Put half of the two sliced onions in bottom of slow cooker, then add meat and other ingredients with other half of onion on top. Cook on low overnight or 8-12 hours.

Remove bone and fat from meat. Return meat to slow cooker. Add the chopped onion and barbecue sauce. Cover and cook additional 3 to 5 hours on high or 8-12 hours on low, stirring two or three times.

Serve on large buns with coleslaw.

Smyly Connor of Summerville has been putting together some easy slow-cooker recipes "for my college student son who eats out way too much." She passes a few along with this note:

"A good source for Crock-Pot recipes is the 'Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook' by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good. They also have another cookbook called 'Fix-It and Forget-It Recipes for Entertaining,' but many of the same recipes are in both books."

Oriental Beef and Broccoli

Makes about 6 servings

1 1/2 pounds boneless round steak

6 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium onions, cut into wedges

1 teaspoon ginger powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 ( 3/4-ounce) envelope brown gravy mix

4 cups frozen broccoli florets

Trim fat from meat and cut into 1/2-inch strips. Set aside.

Put carrots and onions into slow cooker. Add meat, ginger and garlic. In a small bowl, mix water, soy sauce and gravy mix. Pour over mixture in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 to 5 hours.

Add broccoli the last 15-20 minutes of cooking time; if using low heat, switch to high.

Serve over rice.

Ann Strawser of Arlington, Texas, writes: "This is a great Crock-Pot recipe. It couldn't be easier to make."

Ann says this recipe can be halved easily.

10-Can Tortilla Soup

Makes 6 quarts; 14 to 16 servings

4 (18.6-ounce) cans Campbell's Select Mexican Chicken Tortilla soup

2 (16-ounce) cans Ranch style beans (pinto beans in Mexican-style sauce)

1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained

1 (15-ounce) can creamed corn

2 (10-ounce) cans Rotel tomatoes with green chiles (see cook's note)

2 to 4 chicken thighs, cooked and diced or 1 (15.5-ounce) can white meat diced chicken breasts

Pepper to taste

Dried cilantro to taste

Cook's note: Ann recommends the lime/cilantro variety of the tomatoes, and she prefers them mild.

Combine canned products, chicken and seasonings in a large slow cooker or Dutch oven and heat thoroughly on low heat (stirring occasionally if using a Dutch oven).

Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips and guacamole.

Note: To halve the recipe, use 1 can of creamed corn and 1/2 can of whole kernel or use 8-ounce cans instead of 15-ounce.

From Sheila Strack of Manning:

Crock-Pot Pot Roast

4 carrots, peeled and chunked

1 large onion, chunked

4-pound pot roast

1 package dry onion soup mix

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can beef broth

1 soup can red wine

Put carrots and onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place pot roast on top.

In separate bowl, mix dry onion soup mix and the three liquids. Pour over meat. Cook on high for 1 hour and then on low for 8 hours.

Note: Peeled potato chunks may be added along with the carrots and onions.

Melanie Jeffcoat of Goose Creek says the best part about this recipe is being able to use frozen meat, especially if you forgot to thaw something out the night before.

Chicken Stroganoff

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, fresh or frozen

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream

1 (4-ounce) can mushrooms, drained

1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

Put chicken breasts in slow cooker. Mix all other ingredients and place over chicken, making sure it is covered. Cook 6-8 hours on low. Serve with wide egg noodles.

Moroccan dishes are the buzz in the food world, so I thought I would share this recipe from the queens of slow-cooker cookbooks, Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. This recipe is adapted from "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" (Harvard Common Press, 2005).

The two also authored "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining," and Hensperger alone wrote "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two: For the Small Slow Cooker."

This stew may be spiced up with a bit of cayenne if desired, about 1/4 teaspoon. They suggest serving with a salad of fresh oranges and radishes.

Moroccan Chicken Thighs With Chickpeas and Cumin

Serves 4

2 (16-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1 (15-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares

1 medium-size red onion, chopped

1/4 cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Pinch of paprika

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter

For serving:

Hot cooked couscous or brown rice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Put the chickpeas, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, raisins, tomato paste, water, cumin and paprika in the slow cooker; stir well.

Scatter the chicken on top. Cover and cook on low until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 6 to 7 hours.

Sir in the nut butter.

Serve hot over the couscous, garnished with the cilantro.

Thanks also to Stacy Baker of Johns Island and Charles Wilson of Moncks Corner.

Who's got the recipe

--From Isabelle Rooney of Summerville: "Recently there was an article where more people are using Spam to save money. It is also a great item to have on hand in your 'hurricane supply closet.' Do any readers have favorite recipes for preparing Spam?"

--A reader e-mailed asking for a recipe for a three-milk cake.

--Pat Perry of Johns Island says she had a fish stew last year made with Spicy V-8 Juice and loved it, but she can't remember any of the recipe. "We had it at a seafood event at Fort Johnson. Does anyone have that recipe? It had fresh fish, potatoes, onions and ??? and V-8."

--Tarsha Alexander of Charleston was a regular customer of the former Eastside Bakery & Cafe in Mount Pleasant. "I truly miss their variety of sandwiches. In particular, I miss their grilled dill tuna sandwich." Tarsha wonders if the owners would be willing to share the recipe.

Reach Teresa Taylor at 937-4886, food@postandcourier.com or write The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403.