If you take time to brown your meat and vegetables before transfering to the cooker, you're sure to end up with an awesome meal in your crock pot!
Slow Cooker Lamb:
Ingredients:
1kg lamb knuckles
2 chopped onions
1 clove of fresh garlic
1tsp each thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper. 2 bay leaves
2 tsps sugar
1 tin of tomato paste/pasata
Chopped celery, parsnips, carrots.
1 lt of either meat or vegetable stock.
1 tin of peeled tomatoes.
Method: Brown the meat first rolled in a little flour with the onion and other root veg. Transfer this to the crock pot and add the stock, tomatoes, paste and herbs and seasoning. Check for seasoning as you will possibly need to add more salt and pepper.
First set the pot on high then reduce after an hour.
Serve with fresh veg and brown rice.
Tuesday:
Hearty Vegetable Soup:
Need to be healthy today and tomorrow as Thursday is Wes's birthday and we will make a celebration birthday meal for him!
Ingredients:
Roughly chop celery, leeks, carrots, onion and fry with a nice big piece of soft shin meat, bone in, this allows for extra flavour. Add 1 cup of dried split peas and a cup of barley. Add 1 lt of vegetable stock and allow to boil for altogether for about 45mins. Add salt, pepper to taste. Let this simmer for +-2hrs.
I then grate 2 potatoes on the course grater together with finely grated 2 carrots.
Let this all simmer until you are ready to serve and all the veg are nice and soft.
Serve with a crusty bread. Delicious for this chill we are experiencing just before spring!
Wednesday.
I am trying a new recipe today. I found it at Stonegable and savouring time in the kitchen.
You can click on the Stonegable link on my right hand bar! Stonegable must be one of the most beautiful blogs I have read! True inspiration. I have adjusted it to suit the Cheese we get here in S.A.
Here goes the recipe:
Baked Zucchini Pie:
3 cups grated baby marrows, squeeze the juice out.
1 small onion chopped
1 cup flour
1/2 cup of strong cheddar
1/2 cup of mozzerella
3 eggs beaten
1/4 cup oil
4 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (reserve 1 tablespoon)
1tsp each basil and thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
freshly ground black pepper.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Grease a pie plate.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients except 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Blend. Spoon the mixture into pie plate.
Bake for 40 - 45 mins til brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle over parmesan cheese reserved.
Cool and serve with a nice big green salad fill of fresh leaves dressed with balsamic, cherry tomatoes,feta, olives, avocado and garlic croutons!
Scrummy!
Thursday:
Wesley's Birthday celebration.
Slow roast leg of lamb baked for 8 hrs until the meat falls off the bone! Stuffed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and Rosemary freshly picked from my garden.
Roast potatoes, broccoli cheese, carrots in parsley and butter! and Brown rice.
For desert, I am baking (attempting!) a Dutch apple cake! with lashings of cream.
I will put the recipe for this cake up soon. But have to say it's my son's favourite cake/desert!
Friday:
Stir fried skinless chicken, peppers, mushrooms and garlic on top of linguine with Parmesan shavings and cherry tomatoes.
Enjoy your week.
Shel
