Favorite winter comfort food crock pot style

[Hofner]

Hi all. I rarely start threads but I'd like to talk about cooking. It's winter, it's cold outside and it's nice to have a big pot of soup cooking.

I've never been much of a cook at all until about a year ago and now I still wouldn't call myself much of one. But I love soups and about a year ago I just suddenly wanted to start making my own. A couple problems is I'm lazy and I am mostly blind though I can still see somewhat. So my sister had an inspiration and suggested a crock pot. That's how much I wasn't a cook, I didn't even know what a crock pot was!

So I bought a crock pot and now I love the thing. It's perfect, I said I'm lazy and I don't have to hover over it, I can just leave it for hours. And it's safer considering my vision. So usually I'll fix everything in the morning, throw it in the crock pot and let 'er rip all day long on low. It makes a nice smell through my house all day and into the evening when it's finally ready for dinner.

I've made a variety of soups including black bean, chili, various types of baked beans, gumbo, spaghetti sauce, beef stew, vegetable stew among others. Just yesterday I made a cabbage bean soup.

I have to give credit, one of the reasons I got inspired to start cooking is because of a thread here a year ago about your favorite winter comfort food. I forget who it was but one person was posting glamour pics of his/her minestrone soup (Or should I call it porn pics?)

So what's your favorite food to make in these cold winter months. Although I only cook in the crock pot now, this thread doesn't have to be only about that.

I'm off to enjoy some of my cabbage soup now.

Robert

 

[KimMH]

Food porn! Watching the food channel always makes me hungry! I live in Michigan and our Crock Pot gets a lot of use from early Autumn through late Spring! I like doing roasts and corned beef w/ cabbage in mine - Chickens too but the skin doesn't crisp up - you always have to throw it in the oven afterwards for a quick brown!

 

[Canadave]

I'm currently waiting for an apple-based pork chop meal to finish cooking in our crockpot. I'll report back in if it turns out well.

 

[KimMH]

Pork chops and apples - sounds divine!

 

[Canadave]

^ It turned out fantastic. Here's the recipe (more or less) that I used, if anyone wants to try it:

3 boneless pork chops (though any number or cut should work, just scale the ingredients accordingly)
1 cup apple juice
1 medium-sized onion
1 apple, tart (I used Granny Smith)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp. (or to taste) basil
1/4 tsp. (or to taste) ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. (or to taste) ground cloves

1 tsp. brown sugar (optional, I found it wasn't really necessary, it turns out quite sweet anyway)

In a skillet, heat vegetable oil and quickly brown pork chops. I just did a few minutes a side on a fairly high heat. Remove chops from pan and place in bottom of crock pot. Next, slice the onion into thin rings, and layer on top of chops. Add about half the raisins on to this layer. Chop the apple into slices 1 or 2 cm thick (I sliced these in half, but that's optional) and layer on top of onions. Add the rest of the raisins. Mix apple juice with nutmeg, basil, cloves and brown sugar, if using, and pour into crock pot. You may wish to add a little extra apple juice to cover everything in the pot.

Then, just turn on high and let simmer for three hours. Pork should be tender and juicy when ready to serve.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I've been making regular runs to Costco lately to help my dad (who's recovering from total hip replacement) and I have become addicted to those tubs of Legal Sea Foods chowder.

And let me just say that I've eaten at the *real* Legal Sea Foods in Boston and this home bought version is remarkably authentic. It's definitely delicious!

 

[Captain Ice]

Jambalaya.

 

[SmoothieX]

I've been making regular runs to Costco lately to help my dad (who's recovering from total hip replacement) and I have become addicted to those tubs of Legal Sea Foods chowder.

I'm not a big crock pot guy. We've got one, and have tried a few things. But they've generally come out overcooked, mushy, burnt, etc. I'll just save my long simmering meals for the weekend.

Sorry to hear about your Dad. We've got a Legal's here in Framingham if you're ever in the neighborhood.

Not sure what the packaged stuff is like, but I've been to the restaurant twice, and have been seriously underwhelmed both times. Expensive, uninspired dishes with bland sides. And worst of all, small portions.

 

[John Picard]

^^ What are you doing? One of my favorites to make in the crock pot is Cornish Game Hens.

 

[Captain Ice]

Sounds like they are leaving it set on high.

 

[Timby]

OK, kids. Here's a white chicken crock pot chili. Make it, and it will earn you the adulation of men and the love of women and children.

Let's start with the ingredients.

2 lb package of Great Northern Beans
2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 TBSP ground cumin
1 TBSP freshly ground black pepper (fine)
1 TBSP ground cayenne pepper (or more if you like it really hot, as I do)
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP garlic powder
2 TBSP table salt (sea salt is acceptable, but it'll alter the taste)
4 medium yellow onions
3 jalapeno peppers (or more to taste)
3 cloves of garlic
Canned chicken stock (enough to cover)
Shredded cheese, sour cream, diced cilantro and onions, and tortilla chips for serving

(Note: This uses a different chili powder than my beef chili recipe.)

Right. Now then, start with a two-pound package of Great Northern Beans. Open your package and pick through the beans to remove any rocks, ugly beans, or other crap you don't want in your finished chili. Now, soak your beans in water overnight. The beans will double in size, so keep that in mind as you choose your soaking container. Note that you can use your pasta pot with the insert in place. This makes draining the hydrated beans a snap, as all you need to do is lift up the perforated basket:

Dump your beans in the crockery liner of your 6-quart crock-pot. Don't have a 6-quart crock-pot? I guess you need to modify your recipe. At the same time, this is a good point at which to prepare your drink for cooking time. For me, I have to stick to middle-of-the-road stuff like Diet Pepsi, but for those of you who choose to consume alcohol, if you're drinking a glass of wine or a gin and tonic at this point, you are wrong, for chili demands beer and beer it shall have.

Anyway. Make your spice blend with the cumin, black pepper, table salt, cayenne, onion powder and garlic. Mix until blended. Now, take those two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or an equivalent amount of boneless skinless dead bird, any part will do, really), and take your chef's knife and dice that bastard into roughly 1/2" cubes. (I prefer to use one of my cheaper knives when I'm dissecting meat like this, as opposed to my higher quality blades.)

Place the cubes in a large bowl, and sprinkle them with about half of your spice mixture, tossing to coat evenly. Now, find yourself four medium-sized onions (the ones that come in a mesh sack in the supermarket), three jalapeno peppers, and three cloves of garlic. If you're a fan of anus-searing heat, add more peppers ... just don't yell at me the morning after. Dice the onion and the peppers into a very fine mince, and crush the garlic with about two tablespoons of salt. Toss it into a bowl and set it aside.

Now we're going to start playing with fire. Heat a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, preferably a cast-iron skillet. Brown the chicken in the skillet in batches (a bit of oil between batches is a really good idea, by the way, so you don't start burning the shit out of the bird). If you overcrowd the pan, you're going to wind up steaming the chicken rather than browning it. On average, think about four trips to the frying pan to brown all two pounds of diced chicken.

After you've browned your bird, you'll note that there is a nice layer of fond (brown crusty stuff on the bottom) in the pan. Add yet more oil (a teaspoon or so) to the pan and dump in your veggies and spread evenly. The veggies will de-glaze the pan for you, and all that brown wonderful happiness will blend in with the veggies. Cook the vegetables until they just start to brown, though this can be challenging to see, as they'll be tan-colored from the deglazing process. Don't yank the veggies too early, as they'll develop lots of nice flavors if you let them start to brown.

Add the chicken, vegetables, and the remaining spices to the crock-pot, and take a moment to note how nicely de-glazed the pan is after cooking the veggies. Add enough chicken stock to come up to the top of the beans (ordinarily I abhor canned stock, but it'll work in this application).

Stir and put the cooker on high for 5 - 6 hours, occasionally stirring. Bear in mind that low heat will kick your cook time up to 10 - 12 hours.

After cooking time is over, add a half-pound of shredded cheese. I generally use a colby-jack blend with some sharp cheddar, but you can use any nice chili-appropriate cheese. Mix the cheese in and let it melt. Spoon the finished chili into a bowl. Top with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and some diced cilantro and onions. Serve with tortilla chips.

Soak in the love from your adoring guests. Attempt to use your awesome food to get laid, if at all possible.

 

[John Picard]

^^ Looks delicious, and I need chili recipes that don't call for red meat. Fantastic!