The Twelve Days of Slow Cooking

posted December 20, 2006
  by Pamela Chester, The Savvy Slow Cooker

During this season of giving, why not celebrate the twelve days of slow cooking and share some special holiday dishes? Good food is central to almost all holiday celebrations and holiday feasting is one of the ways we can connect and make merry with loved ones.

From a holiday open house, to a cozy fireside Christmas Eve supper, to a gut-busting Christmas morning breakfast, there are so many holiday menu options that can be adapted to long cooking times. Relying on the slow cooker can free up your time to spend on other activities such as making that last batch of cookies or one more round of your favorite family game.

You don’t have to celebrate the Festival of Lights to enjoy a hearty Hanukkah meal of short ribs with root vegetables, although this would make a lovely addition to any Hanukkah feast. The recipe, in which the meat is simmered for hours until tender combines the sweetness of seasonal root vegetables with the savory short ribs. The recipe is inspired by traditional ingredients that can be traced to Eastern European origins. In Jewish custom, the short ribs are boiled and served with horseradish. This is a real one pot meal, which tastes even better after a day in the refrigerator.

Lots of Christmas revelers count on the tried and true traditional ham, an easy addition to the buffet table. The ham you find in your local supermarket is usually fully cooked and ready to serve immediately. Heating it with a glaze adds flavor and makes for a gorgeous presentation. Cooking the ham in the slow cooker will infuse it with the flavor of the glaze while preserving its moisture.

Spiral sliced hams are a more recent invention and make the holiday ham even easier. These are fully cooked hams that are sliced using a special machine so the meat literally falls off the bone into perfect, thin slices. My relatives swear by the one available at Costco. Spiral sliced hams usually have a glaze baked onto them so all you will need to do is heat the ham according to the package directions that come with it, or follow your favorite CDKitchen recipe for slow cooker ham. You can also make your own glaze and serve it on the side. This makes me think of a favorite dumb holiday joke— what do you get when you cross an apple and a Christmas tree? Seriously, the traditional and most requested glaze at my family holiday celebrations is a pineapple glaze.

After overdosing on cookies and all kinds of other holiday goodies, you can get a jump start on your 2007 New Year’s resolution with some good stuff—pomegranate punch. The pomegranate fruit has a healthful image—it is rich in antioxidants and reputed to prevent cancer and heart disease. Along with its healing powers, the tangy flavor and festive red color will be a welcome treat this holiday season, and can be served right from the crockpot.

Whether you have a couple days or twelve to spend feasting, gather around the slow cooker and celebrate the holidays this year with this collection of holiday slow cooker recipes!!

Short Ribs with Root Vegetables Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 6
Ready in: > 5 hrs

* 3 pounds bone-in beef chuck short ribs, trimmed
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* Coarse salt and ground black pepper
* 2 large parsnips (about 4 ounce size), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 medium turnip (about 8 ounce size), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
* 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 4 cloves (large) garlic, finely chopped
* 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
* 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
* 1 cup dry red wine
* 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
* 1/4 cup tomato paste
* Horseradish sauce
* Thyme leaves

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Season ribs and add to skillet. Cook ribs about 10 minutes or until well browned on all sides, turning occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a 5- to 6-quart slow-cooker pot, place parsnips, turnip, potatoes, and carrots.

Transfer ribs to slow cooker on top of vegetables. Discard drippings in skillet. Reduce heat to medium; add onion to skillet and cook about 8 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine and heat to boiling over high heat, stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of skillet. Remove skillet from heat and stir in chicken stock, tomato paste, brown sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Pour wine mixture over ribs in slow cooker. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low setting as manufacturer directs, 8 to 10 hours (or on high setting 4 to 5 hours) or until meat is fork-tender and falling off the bones.

With tongs, transfer ribs to deep platter; discard bones if you like. With spoon, skim fat from sauce in slow cooker and discard fat. Check for seasoning, and add salt and pepper if desired. Spoon vegetables and sauce over ribs. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve with horseradish on the side.

Pomegranate Holiday Punch Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 8
Ready in: 2-5 hrs

* 3 cups pomegranate juice
* 1 cup cranberry juice
* 1/2 cup orange juice, plus orange zest for garnish
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 1 tablespoon grated ginger
* OR
* 1 teaspoon powdered ginger

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and stir well to combine. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours until hot.

Garnish with orange zest.

©2008 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction of this article may be made without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.



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