Rocking the crock for flavor

By NANCY BYAL and RICHARD SWEARINGER

Fresh ingredients, fast prep, and three easy techniques bring your slow cooker up to speed. Check out these recipes and tips for fall favorites made on your countertop from the October 2008 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

TECHNIQUE 1: Add Fresh flavor

Give this meatless dinner bright color and a little crunch by adding spinach and radicchio to the cooker just before serving. It’s a trick that works with chopped herbs, too.

VEGETABLE CASSEROLE

2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans

1 (19-ounce) can garbanzo or fava beans

1‚Ñ4 cup purchased basil pesto

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

11‚Ñ2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 (16-ounce) package refrigerated cooked plain polenta cut in 1‚Ñ2-inch-thick slices

1 large tomato, thinly sliced

1 (8-ounce) package finely shredded Italian cheese blend (2 cups)

2 cups fresh spinach

1 cup torn radicchio

Rinse and drain beans. In large bowl combine beans, 2 tablespoons of pesto, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning.

In 4- to 5-quart slow cooker layer half of bean mixture, half of polenta, and half of cheese. Add remaining beans and polenta. Cover; cook on low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or on high heat setting 2 to 2 1‚Ñ2 hours. Add tomato, remaining cheese, spinach, and radicchio. Combine remaining pesto and 1 tablespoon water. Drizzle pesto mixture on casserole. Let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving: 360 cal, 12 g fat (6 g sat. fat), 26 mg chol, 926 mg sodium, 46 g carbo, 10 g fiber, 21 g pro. Daily Values: 25 percent vitamin A, 16 percent vitamin C, 36 percent calcium, 19 percent iron.

TECHNIQUE 2: BIG-BATCH IT

Making two meals at once — one for now, one for later — saves time. Use half the sauce now for the shrimp and freeze the other half to use as a sauce in which to simmer chicken, Italian sausage, or mushrooms.

BIG BATCH PUTTANESCA SAUCE

This sauce will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.

3 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1‚Ñ2 of a 6-ounce can ( 1‚Ñ3 cup) tomato paste

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1‚Ñ4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped

1‚Ñ4 cup snipped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1 tablespoons anchovy paste

2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound fresh or frozen cooked shrimp, thawed, peeled, and deveined

1‚Ñ4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

Hot cooked pasta or rice

Shaved Parmesan cheese

In 4- to 6-quart slow cooker stir together undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, garlic, chopped olives, 1‚Ñ4 cup snipped parsley, capers, anchovy paste, basil, cayenne pepper, 1‚Ñ4 teaspoon salt, and 1‚Ñ4 teaspoon ground black pepper.

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

Remove half of sauce (about 51‚Ñ2 cups). Set aside for additional meals.

If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Add shrimp and halved olives to sauce in cooker. Cover and cook 5 minutes more or until heated through. Serve over hot cooked pasta or rice. Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings plus 5 1‚Ñ2 cups leftover sauce (4 to 6 servings).

Each serving (with shrimp) 257 cal, 4 g fat (1 g sat. fat), 94 mg chol, 874 mg sodium, 36 g carbo, 5 g fiber, 20 g pro. Daily Values: 23 percent vitamin A, 33 percent vitamin C, 13 percent calcium, 18 percent iron.

Each serving (sauce only) 33 cal, 0 g fat, 2 mg chol, 355 mg sodium, 7 g carbo, 2 g fiber, 1 g pro. Daily Values: 11 percent vitamin A, 17 percent vitamin C, 2 percent calcium, 3 percent iron.

TECHNIQUE 3: Marinate

Marinating food before slow cooking allows seasonings to both enhance the meat and flavor the cooking broth. Even if you have only an hour or two to let the marinade work, it’s still worthwhile.

ALE-SAUCED PORK RIBS AND VEGETABLES

21‚Ñ2 to 3 pounds bone-in pork country-style ribs

1 (12-ounce) bottle dark ale or stout or nonalcoholic beer

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel

1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon salt

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

8 small gold or red potatoes (8 ounce total)

12 ounces peeled fresh baby carrots

1‚Ñ4 cup cold water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Radishes (optional)

Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)

Shredded lemon peel (optional)

Place pork in a large self-sealing plastic bag set in a shallow dish. Add ale, garlic, lemon peel, dried rosemary, salt and pepper. Seal bag. Turn to coat. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally.

Place potatoes and carrots in bottom of 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Transfer pork ribs to bed of carrots and potatoes. Pour ale mixture over all. Cover and cook on low-heat setting 8 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting 4 to 41‚Ñ2 hours.

Remove pork and vegetables from cooker. Cover; keep warm. Pour cooking juices through fine mesh sieve set over a heat-proof bowl to strain. Measure 2 cups of cooking juices, adding water to make 2 cups, if necessary. Stir together water and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Add 2 cups strained juices. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Serve sauce with meat, vegetables, and radishes. Garnish with fresh rosemary and lemon peel.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Each serving 497 cal, 23 g fat (8 g sat. fat), 143 mg chol, 342 mg sodium, 25 g carbo, 4 g fiber, 40 g pro. Daily Values: 235 percent vitamin A, 28 percent vitamin C, 10 percent calcium, 18 percent iron.