General Chat

Did You Know???....Beef Stew and dumplings was a Victorian meal.

An Interesting website with meals through the ages and picture recipes....worth a look for how to do it and ingredients

http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/1155-beef-stew-with-dumplings.html

Please could you give a step by step detail of liver and onions in slow cooker. We love it but I am afraid it won't be as tasty. We usually buy ready prepared liver and bacon from Supermarket that you just pop in oven, I know most people would be horrified at this! Anyway if someone could help, Jean in Wales perhaps?

Hi Ann, yes I seem to be on...(holds breath)...I covered the gammon almost completely as I did want it boiled, if you like, but casseroles etc I use quite small amount of liquid as it doesn't reduce during cooking as it would normally. For example I have filled the slow-cooker now with the Burgundy Beef meat and veg, mixed it around a bit and I think it's about half-filled with wine. But of course I shall stir it well a few times so the top bits won't be dry.

I have got the slow-cooker leaflet somewhere, I'll see if I can find it.

Sorry, liver and onions not one of OH' favourites. Have looked in my slow cooker book and they dont have a recipe for it. I have another book but I cant find it amongst the jumble of books. Will lokk again but if someone else can help in the meantime.........
have found it. Nearest I can get is Liver and bacon casserole.
!lb of lambs or pig liver
1oz of plain flour
sasoning
6 streaky rashers
1 small onion
150ml beef stock.
Wash and thinly slice liver, coat with seasone flour. Cook in lard until lightly coloured. Fry bacon in same fat and the chopped onoin. Put the bacon and onoin in the cooker and top with liver slices. Work remaining flour into lard cook for 2mins and add stock. bring to boil, stirring well and pour inot cooker. Cover and cook on high for 30mins then on low for 6-7hrs.
Alter amounts as you need or make enough to freeze some.
hope that is of help.

I found this on a forum on the Money Saving Expert website from a lady called Tracey B. Can I post this? Someone tell me if I can't and I'll delete it.

"I do liver in the slow cooker - and it comes out lovely!

I brown the liver, some bacon and onions lightly in a frying pan first (having dusted the liver in flour first) then throw it in the slow cooker for about 6 hours in some made up gravy!

I love it done this way - i just do the spuds seperately."

A word of warning, try this first as liver tends to go hard if it is over-cooked.

Thanks all for liver tips! I shall try give them a go now.

Oldbean

I love the idea of doing rice pudding in the slow cooker. Could someone please give me the recipe please?

Teresa

Thanks for the liver and onions recipe looks good.

Theresa in Canada,

I always make rice pudding in the slow cooker now, here is the recipe I use, for 2.5 litre cooker. 25g. Butter, 100g. Pudding rice, 100g. Sugar,
1litre Milk. A pinch of Nutmeg (optional)

Butter the inside of the slow crock pot. Add all ingredients and stir. Place crock on the slow cooker base and cover with lid. Cook for approx. 3 - 4 hrs.

I only use skimmed milk and find that the pudding is still nice and creamy.
Hope you enjoy it.

Sallie.x

Hi Brenda, I think once my son got into the habit of preparing some food the night before and just setting it up he would do it and could make enough for more than one meal so could freeze portions too. He enjoys cooking and sometimes he and his friends go to his local Tesco (metro?) and get lots of reduced things and make a meal between them, cheaper than doing a meal at each house and more fun. He is into healthy eating in a big way as he hated it a few years ago when he saw his photos and he looked chubby. He is a stocky build anyway, about 5'10' but being part Maltese he has that stockiness that comes with it. He has weights and such at home so he can work out and walks or cycles almost everywhere.

He could make some good vegetable casseroles, his ex was a vegetarian so showed him some recipes altho she would cook some meat for him and her son, if they wanted it.



Lizx

Liz,Glad you think your son would prepare food the night before.I was thinking ...it's a man thing....full of good intentions,but can't think ahead and multi task!!
Talking of slow cookers,my granddaughter,who has 3 little girls rang me to ask me how to make meat and potato pie in the slow cooker.(not the pastry obviously).It's always a request from my grandchildren when they come here.
She has done quite a bit in her slow cooker and is getting really good,but when she did it last time she said"It's not like yours".I said it's age and experience!! I did give her instructions though.
I have a piece of brisket in there now and the smell is delicious!
Brenda x

Oh Brenda, half a story. How do you make meat and potatoe pie (I assume you make the filling).

Ann,
Meat and Potato pie.
It's just my method...not from a cook book. It's not just meat and potato as I put onions,carrots,leeks,celery,in fact whatever I've got,so really it is like a casserole.
I cut carrots smallish and put on the bottom of the slow cooker.
other veg on top.
Sear stew meat on the hob and put on top of veg.
Make a stock of 1 oxo cube and a tablespoon of tomato puree and pour over meat etc.
I let that cook for a while (about 1 hour) then I add diced potatoes,cover and leave,maybe 4-5 hours.
Check for seasoning and if the potatoes haven't fallen,as some don't,the gravy might need thickening so I mix a bit of cornflour with cold water and add to the pot.
It works for me,but you may want to experiment.I'm not a measurer,as my mother wasn't.
I use frozen puff pastry these days as a topping quickly cooked in the oven.
We have Beetroot,red cabbage and pickled onions on the table.I always make a lot as 2nd helpings are usually requested.
hope that makes sense.
must go and sort our meal now.

Brenda x

Further to the discussion on liquid quantity, as I said I filled the slow cooker with meat and veg etc and only half-filled it with wine and sauce. When it had finished cooking the liquid had risen to the top of the food so all was well!!

Pork in cider in mine today . just eaten - very tasty.
Diced pork
small bottle cider
onions - chopped
mishrooms - chopped
celery . chopped
ono cube
letf on its own for 7 hours
thickened with gravy granules
and eaten with carrots, beans, frying peppers and jacket potatoes

Mary xx

I started reading the latest posts and got peckish so just did a couple of small potatoes in the microwave lol, cheese and pickle is making them very tasty!

My lad does sometimes cook a lot of bolognese sauce and then freezes some for later so might be able to get the hang of this multi tasking lol


The pork and cider would go down well with o.h. here

Lizx

Well its D day tomorrow, lol.
I have brought some braising steak and l am going to use my new slow cooker............. hope it turns out alright !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will let you know how it turns out.

Well we have finished tea and everyone really did enjoy the braising steak, it just fell apart when you cut it, l will be using it again very soon.
Thankyou all for putting up recipes.

There it was not so difficult was it Mummo? I did curry in mine yesterday, well not a professional type curry, mince and tomatoes and mushrooms with gravy (left from the previous night, and curry powder. it tasted pretty good too.

One KG brisket how long do you reckon in the slow cooker?