Winter recipes

[Boddie]

I have just invested in a slow cooker with two compartments and I have to say I am at a loss as to what to cook with it.

Any suggestions would be greatfully received.

Maybe a good stew recipe or a fine vegetable soup.

Remember, I am a starter so the easier the better.

Cheers

Boddie

[Fourwings]

You are a braver man than me Boddie, I can't cook to save my life & have been known to burn water on a bad day!!!!!!!!!

Good luck with the cooking.

[wildone]

Hi Boddie

Never had a slow cooker so cannot see the need for two compartments. Sure a stew or soup would be fine cooked in it. One thing though if you use any pulses:- beans, peas lentils etc. you must make sure to fast boil them for 10 minutes before adding to the slow cooker, unless of course you use tinned. I don't want to hear that you have poisoned yourself because you omitted to do the boiling first. Apart from that you can peel and dice any vegetables, and meat if you are a carnivore, and to make life easier use a stock cube or some yeast extract for flavouring. Pearl barley will help thicken it and doesn't need to boil first. If you have some herbs they will add interest to the flavour. Experiment is possibly the best advice. Good luck

Wildone

[Boddie]

Excellent

This is just what I am looking for. Not sure about the two compartments either. Think it is so I can cook one set of ingredients for say 6 hours and the other for only 4 adding them a couple of hours later. Sure I am a carnivore so it would be good to add some chicken maybe but the pearl barley does sound like a good idea - I do like a good thick broth. Can I get this from the supermarket? Did not know about the pulses, so you may have saved me from some food poisoning there.

Thanks for the tips. I will let you know how I get on.

Cheers

Boddie

[wildone]

Hi Boddie

Yes, the Pearl barley can be bought in the supermarket along with most pulses. If you are using raw pulses don't add any salt until they are soft otherwise you'll never get your teeth through the skins. Salt toughens them.

Best of luck

Wildone

[henrya]

Re pulses and salt - don't forget that most stock cubes and yeast extracts have a lot of salt in, so go easy on them in your stews or add after the pulses are soft (not easy, logistically, when you're using a slow cooker). Tomatoes are said to make pulses tough as well - don't know how true this is.

henrya

[nightshade]

most of these things come with a decent book, reading it will make cooking less of a chore and more of the pleasure it should be

[Boddie]

Actually the book was pretty poor.
Off to France for three weeks on Sunday then expect to come back and put many of these recipes into practice so keep em rolling in.

[wildone]

Boddie
So when are the exams that everyone has been working hard towards your passing?

[Boddie]

Monday is the biggie then I have 3 weeks of intensive training and exams every Monday for the next two weeks.

I am still struggling with the verbatim part of it all, which is necessary as it is medical, despite having rewritten the whole catalogue probably 10 times, listened to it repeatedly on the ipod and have had some very late night - had to take a ride at 2 this morning to physically tire myself to sleep, so roll on Monday when I hope it all comes good and everyones efforts are rewarded. I'll let you all know as soon as I pass. Fingers crossed

[wildone]

Boddie

The very best of luck. We'll all be thinking of you. I'm sure all that hard work will pay off.

Cheers

Wildone

PS Then down to some serious cooking W

[Boddie]

Thanks Wildone

I'll be thinking of WAB too and all those who have helped me - then maybe Masterchef?

[nightshade]

best wishes boddie,deep breathes ,and pass

[Boddie]

Thanks Nightshade.

I have already ramped up the Ginkgo Biloba, omega's 3,6 and 9 and Ginseng and am weaning myself off coffee. Physically I am better than I have been for four years with body fat of just over 13% and have just come back off a fantastic ride - it started to pour down, which I wasn't prepared for but gritted my teeth and laughed it off. Now a bit of cramming and a portion of luck should see me bag it.

Deep breathing starts Monday morning at 5'ish. 30 mins of intense relaxation then one last read, another trancey spell and let me at it.

[Pat]

Good luck for Monday Boddie

[Boddie]

Thanks Pat

Another late one last night then fell asleep to the sounds of my ipod telling me about the tissue layers of the uterine wall - thats the last I remember. It was still playing when I woke at 7 so I am hoping for some sleep induced memory although it does not seem to have helped. More reading, more writing, more listening me thinks.

[Jo Pedder]

Another good luck from me too bodie. If you smoke be sure to get some nicotine gum, you don’t want jitters half way through!

Slow cookers are a great way to make use of really cheap meat. I slow cook cheapo frozen lamb chops (which are pretty inedible normally):

Fry off chunky chopped onions, peppers and carrots in olive oil with a little chilly, rosemary, garlic and plenty of cumin and put the mix in the cooker, then fry off the meat and add that. De glaze (which basically means loosen off all the yummy stuff that’s stuck to the bottom of the pan) with a glass of wine, stock cube and some water. Bung the whole lot in the slow cooker with a hand full of de-stoned olives and leave for as long as you can be patient for and you’ll have a wicked Moroccan style stew. Thats grat with bulgar wheat, cous cous, or just plain rice.

[Helen]

Good luck!

Will the exams help you in your career?

[wildone]

Originally Posted by Boddie

- then maybe Masterchef?

So how's Masterchef making out then?

[Boddie]

Funny you should ask but I have something on the go right now. Very much a hotchpotch so will let you know what it tastes like sometime tonight.

Thye smell is making my tummy rumble so if that is anything to go by I'll be enjoying dinner tonight.

[Pat]

If it tastes as good as it smells would you let me know what's in it please, I've just got a slow cooker as a Christmas present