Crock pot Creations!

The crock pot! 

What a marvelous creation. I am a huge fan of kitchen tools that serve multiple functions, and the crock pot is an excellent example of how to get the most of cooking. Whether you want to save time, make a big batch of delicious goodness to freeze for later, warm up with a hot bowl of stew or combine a bunch of random stuff in your fridge for one awesome result, the crock pot is your guy. Variations on the idea of the crock pot include the slow cooker, but from where I'm standing both do the same thing: they allow you to throw a bunch of food into one big cooking machine, turn it on low and let it all come together for hours and hours. Niiiice and sloooow. This is a fantastic way to easily create rich, deep and hypnotizing flavors. And since we are in full fall mode here in New England, now is definitely the time to dust off the crock pot, plug 'er in and go rake some leaves while a delicious meal is basically made for you. What could be better?

If the idea of the crock pot is new to you, check out crockpot 101. If you would like to see a comprehensive list on what you can do with your crock pot, check this out, or do some research on your own. It is way to easy to find great ideas on how to get the most out of slow cooking.

I had a great time using my crock pot for the first time this fall just the other day. I had a very specific goal in mind: find a way to combine some leftovers in the fridge with fresh veggies while expelling minimal time and energy for one warm and tasty result. This is what happened.

First, I collected my fresh veggies and chopped them all into comparably sized chunks so they would cook evenly in the crock pot. I used the basics, all from CSA or local farms:

• Squash
• Carrot
• Onion
• Celery
• Potatoes

I threw it all into the crock pot, turned it on HIGH and poured in a little white wine to prevent any burning. I kept it on HIGH for one hour so the veggies could come up to cooking temperature. Then I turned it on LOW and let just those veggies cook together for about 6 hours. 

Then I added some lentils and let it all cook on LOW for another 6 hours, approximately. If it is on low, let go! For me, with just a bunch of veggies in the crock pot, it could cook for an eternity and just get better and better. 

I then added garlic, a couple bay leaves, some light seasonings like cumin, salt and pepper. I added some chopped tomato, some tomato paste, and a little veggie stock. 

The vegetables release a lot of moisture when they cook and it doesn't boil off so I always wait to see how much liquid I need to add after they have been cooking for a while (if you want to thicken up your mixture, you can add some tomato paste or dissolve some corn starch in cold water and mix it all into your creation). I then added some stir fry leftovers that had been sitting in my fridge for almost a week. Still totally good to eat (passing the smell test and all) but not exactly appetizing as a meal on it's own since we had been eating so much. Throwing it in the pot at this point, it will just blend into everything and enhance the richness and flavor. I let this all cook for a couple hours. 

Then it is really ready to go any time! Of course, something like this is best served with some crusty bread.

Warm, delicious, healthy and easy! Just one of truly infinite ways to use the crock pot!