Recommended Reference

This morning I had the relative luxury of coming to work an hour later than usual (the result of staying late on Monday). In my extra time, I pulled out my favorite slow cooker reference book - Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson - and put together some "Hungarian Goulash" (p. 86) for tonight's dinner. Made with tempeh (a fermented block of soy beans) and served mixed into noodles, this very thick stew has sauerkraut, a tomato base, and provides a truly hearty meal that does not lack for flavor or texture. 

The cool thing about this book is that it has over 200 recipe ideas which, though I doubt they were written with preserver-cooks in mind, lend themselves incredibly well to substitution, replacing store-bought canned ingredients with homemade equivalents.  Below I've included an example below of an original recipe from the book. In orange are my changes which allowed me to use mostly home-preserved ingredients, making it necessary to buy only a couple of non-local items (e.g. bouillon for vegetable stock, tempeh, and salt).

Hungarian Goulash with Tempeh

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil Enough butter to coat the pan (about 1/2 tablespoon)
• 1 pound tempeh, cut into small cubes
• 1 small yellow onion, halved and sliced thinly into half moons (2-3 small onions, can find local ones almost year round)
• 2 cups sauerkraut, drained and rinsed (more like 3 cups and I don't drain or rinse... that's all the flavor!)
• 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (about 8-10 whole frozen paste tomatoes, skins removed if desired, thawed and diced)
• 1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (red also works, depending on what you have open, and you can use more for more intense flavor)
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (3-4 tablespoons crushed dried tomatoes)
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream or tofu sour cream

Instructions

• Saute tempeh in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Put in slow cooker.
• Saute onions in olive oil until soft. Put in slow cooker.
• Put everything else in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
• Serve over wide noodles (mixed into whole wheat macaroni).

This type of substitution definitely takes some practice because, as far as I know, there's no one reference for converting canned tomato units to whole frozen ones. But rest assured: because most slow cookers dishes are stew-like, it's pretty difficult to make something inedible (just be sure that in anything including uncooked grains, you don't skimp on the liquid since the grains need to absorb this liquid in the cooking process). Plus, Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker is a great reference and a good inspiration so experiment away (and let me know if you find conversion rates from standard quantities to home-preserved quantities that you can rely on)!

Set It and Forget It!

When I was about 12 or so, my dad and I got caught in the hypnotic messaging of an infomercial and bought a rotisserie cooker from Ron Popeil, "the King of 'Set It and Forget It.'" I've included an example of the advertisement below, but I will not be held responsible for any poor purchasing judgment that results...

Anyway, when we received the contraption in the mail 3-5 weeks later, we eagerly stuffed it with a five pound chicken and, as the instructions prompted, we set it and forgot it.

Well, it turns out you can't effectively cook chicken with a light bulb which is essentially what this thing tried to do. Disappointed and with wounds that would keep me forever skeptical of television advertisements, we asked for our money back guarantee (minus shipping and handling) and sent the rotisserie back.

I should have known then that (for the most part) anything my father and I agreed upon so excitedly was probably a bad idea. I should have also realized that it was really my mother who had the "set it and forget it" technology we were seeking. About once a week, she in her infinite wisdom would pull out the crock pot she'd received years prior as a wedding present and make something delicious with very little effort. 

As an adult, I won't say that I've become wiser, but I have at least learned a few things about mimicking good ideas. So, like my mother, I am the proud owner of two slow cookers, one 4-quart (for everyday cooking) and one 12-quart (for large-batch freezing/canning).

I cannot recommend this cooking tool highly enough, especially for those looking to preserve their own food. You'll find a use for it throughout the process: In August, when it comes time to can tomato sauce, no method is easier for reducing the volume of the tomatoes than letting them simmer for 18-28 hours in a slow cooker (and it doesn't heat up the house as much as a stove). In February, when it comes to throwing frozen ingredients together to make an easy and  tasty chili (see recipe below), the choice is obvious.

As proof of my undying affection for the convenience of my slow cookers, I'll leave you with an impromptu recipe for vegetarian chili that provided a healthy and satisfying dinner last night (prepped it Sunday night around 8pm, turned off and stored the entire slow cooker in the cold garage before work around 7am on Monday, reheated and ate that evening).

Nicole's Chilly February Chili

Ingredients 

• 4 quart slow cooker 
• 10-15 frozen whole paste tomatoes (e.g. Roma, San Marzano, Amish Paste) thawed for 1-2 hours
• 3 small onions
• 2 or so cloves of garlic
• ~3/4 cup frozen, slices hot banana peppers
• ~1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup dried black beans 
• 2-3 generous pinches of dried basil
• 2-3 teaspoons of chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ~3 cups vegetable stock (Frugality tip: buy a jar of bouillon and make the stock yourself with hot water! Also saves on packaging and transportation cost due to bulkiness of prepared stock.)

- When outsides are relatively soft, puree tomatoes in food processor or blender. Add to slow cooker.

- Chop onions in food processor (or by hand). Do the same with the garlic. Add both to slow cooker.

- Add peppers, corn, black beans, basil, chili powder, salt, pepper, and stock to slow cooker.

- Set on low. Allow to cook for about 10 hours. Before turning off, check doneness of black beans. 

- Serve hot and topped with shredded cheddar, chopped onions, parsley, and sour cream. Also delicious with a slice of cornbread or thickly-sliced, toasted multigrain.