FOOD
Blue Mountainslife 49THE SLOW COOKING GUIDE
Slow cooking is back on the menu: from soups to stews, classic favourites, roasts, braises and
casseroles, international slow cooker dishes and desserts. Slow cooking is an easy way to create
stunning meals with minimal effort!
The Slow Cooking Guide is a beautifully presented cookbook with recipes that will guide you
through the process of slow cooking mouth-watering meals your family and friends will love.
Great tasting meals with good quality stocks, fresh vegetables, and herbs are the winning
elements to beautiful old fashioned cookery.
Convenient, economical and always delicious, slow down and enjoy the taste sensations that
come with The Slow Cooking Guide.
The Slow Cooking Book, New Holland Publishers RRP $24.99 available from all good book
retailers or online http://www.newhollandpublishers.com← PAELLA
20ml (⅔fl oz) olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
handful fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon
rind
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
525 g (18½ oz) short-grain white
rice
pinch saffron threads, soaked in
500 ml (1 pint) water
1¼L (2½ pints) chicken or fish
stock
300g (10 oz) fresh or frozen peas
2 red bell peppers (capsicums),
chopped
1kg (36 oz) mussels, scrubbed,
de-bearded
500g (17½ oz) firm white fish
fillets, chopped
300g (10 oz) peeled uncooked
shrimp (prawns)
200g (7 oz) scallops
3 calamari, cleaned, sliced
4 teaspoons chopped fresh
parsley
Preheat slow cooker to a high heat
level. Add the oil and the onions
and stir, then add the garlic, thyme,
lemon rind and tomatoes and cook
for 15 minutes.
Add the rice and saffron mixture
and warmed stock. Simmer, stirring
occasionally, for 1½ hours or until
the rice has absorbed almost all
the liquid.
Stir in the peas, peppers and
mussels and cook for 20 minutes.
Add the fish, shrimp and scallops
and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in
the calamari and parsley and cook
for 20 minutes longer or until the
seafood is cooked.
CHICKEN
VOL-AU-VENTS →
1½kg (3 lb) roasting chicken
2 chicken stock cubes, crumbled
salt and ground black pepper
1 bouquet garni
3 white onions, sliced
30g (1 oz) butter
Approx 30 g (1 oz) plain (all-
purpose) flour
250ml (8 oz) cups milk
2 tablespoons dry sherry
45ml (1½ fl oz) Dijon mustard
1 red capsicum (bell pepper),
finely chopped
340g canned mushrooms, drained
4 spring onions, chopped
4 medium-size vol-au-vent cases
fresh parsley, choppedPlace chicken, stock cubes, salt
and pepper, bouquet garni and
onions in a slow cooker. Cover
with cold water and cook on low
for approximately 4–6 hours or on
high for 3–4 hours.
When chicken is cooked, allow to
cool and cut the flesh into small
cubes. Strain stock, reserve 11⁄4
cups for the sauce and retain the
rest for soups.
Heat the butter in a saucepan
over low heat, add 4 teaspoons
of flour and stir for a minute or
two. Combine milk and reserved
chicken stock and gradually stir
into flour and butter mixture,
whisking constantly. Bring to the
boil, then reduce heat and add
sherry and mustard. Stir until
thickened. Gently fold in cubed
chicken, capsicum, mushrooms and
spring onions (scallions).
Pour sauce mixture into the empty
slow cooker and keep hot on high.
Meanwhile, bake vol-au-vent cases
in the oven according to packet
directions. To serve, spoon chicken
mixture into pastry cases and
garnish with chopped parsley.