Great ingredients and a cookbook author's tips come together in the slow cooker, with delicious results.
Article By:Irene Sax
In The Mediterranean Slow Cooker, Scicolone focuses on the foods of southern Europe and northern Africa, warm regions where people eat dishes like Greek Chickpea Salad, Spanish Shredded Beef with Peppers, Moroccan Golden Vegetable Tagine and Israeli Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce. Recipes for all these dishes can be found in her splendid new book, all made in the slow cooker, with its brilliance at producing hearty meals without heating up the kitchen.
The book is especially strong on meatless meals, as you’d expect from one based on the healthy Mediterranean diet. I slow-cooked chickpeas and water with seasonings, then puréed them in a blender. The finished soup was thick and creamy, unmistakably Mediterranean — actually Italian — with its flavors of rosemary and garlic. Another day, I made spinach and ricotta polenta in the slow cooker, delighted to have a method that freed me from the need for constant stirring. And I tried one of Scicolone’s “out of the cooker” recipes, Spain’s versatile romesco sauce (peppers, garlic, almonds, paprika), which would raise any cooked fish to another level of deliciousness.
What I love about Scicolone’s slow-cooker books (this is her third) is that she never sacrifices flavor for quick prep. She doesn’t tell us to dump in ingredients, flip a switch and hope for the best. She might ask us to sauté onions or sear meat before they go in the cooker, ensuring that the slow-cooked dishes taste at least as good as those made the traditional way.
Balsamic Chicken with Capers
Capers are tiny buds that have been pickled. They add a lovely sour piquancy to any dish: especially good when the main ingredient in the sauce is sweet balsamic vinegar. If you’re grilling tonight, try the marinade on chicken parts before you put them over the coals.
Makes 6 servings**
PointsPlus® value: 3**
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 Tbsp drained capers, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts**
Instructions
- Spray insert of large slow cooker with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic, rosemary, capers, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken pieces into mixture, turning to coat on all sides. Place chicken in cooker and pour on any remaining coating.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, or until chicken is very tender and coming away from the bone. Serve hot.
Notes from the author
- This tasty chicken is the kind of dish I can put together in no time, since I always have the sauce ingredients on hand in my kitchen. It’s inspired by a grilled chicken marinated in a similar sauce that I had in Rome. Serve with rice and spinach.
**Notes from WeightWatchers.com
- When calculating the PointsPlus values for this recipe:
- We made it serve 6 (rather than 4 to 6, as called for in the book).
- We used boneless, skinless chicken breasts (rather than 4 lb of bone-in breasts, thighs and legs, as called for in the book).
Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
Two ways you can lighten this classic Greek seafood dish: Sauté shrimp in much less olive oil, and substitute water for wine or forget it altogether. But please note that in the first part of this recipe, you’re making a basic tomato sauce, one versatile enough to use with pizza, pasta or other fish.
Makes 6 servings
PointsPlus® value: 6**
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil**
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- Salt
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1 1/2 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 oz)
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- In a small skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Scrape onion into large slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes, wine, oregano, salt to taste and crushed red pepper. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.
- Rinse shrimp and pat them dry. Stir shrimp into sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Cover and cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes, or until shrimp are tender and cooked through.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.
Notes from the author
- Shrimp cooked in a spicy tomato sauce flavored with oregano and topped with feta cheese is quick, yet impressive enough for a company meal. Serve over cooked orzo or rice.
Feta is Greece’s most famous cheese, but there are many varieties made throughout the world. Traditionally, feta is made from sheep’s milk, though today a blend of sheep’s and goat’s or even cow’s milk may be used. Tangy and semi-firm, feta also tastes great in a salad or tossed with cooked spinach.
**Notes from WeightWatchers.com
- When calculating the PointsPlus values for this recipe:
- We used 1 tablespoon of oil, rather than 1/4 cup (as called for in the book).
