notes from my food diary

I’ve been looking at my slow cooker for some time, the one who’s given by my mother-in-law, and I felt that it needed a little love.  So recently I made this simpe jambalaya for my busy weekday.  I said simple because it only contained 2 main ingredients, shrimp and chicken.  This may not be an authentic jambalaya but it nourished my family just fine.  Served this sprinkled with bacon (a little will not hurt!), green salad, and warm French bread with lots of butter, you’ll have a meal in no time. 

Shrimp and Chicken Jambalaya

Serves 4 to 6

Cooker:  Medium to large round or oval

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juice

1 (14.5-ounce) can chicken broth

3 ounces tomato paste

1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasonings

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups converted rice

8 ounces raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined

3/4 cup seeded and chopped green bell pepper

Combine the first 7 ingredients in the slow cooker pot.  Stir in chicken and shrimp.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, or on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 2 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and the liquid is absorbed.

Stir in the shrimp and green bell pepper into the chicken-rice mixture, cover and cook on HIGH for 10 mintues or until the shrimp is cooked through.  Serve immediately with green salad, warm French bread and lots of butter

Source:  adapted from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger

Red-cooked chicken is a common method to cook chicken in Eastern China. The red color is actually not really red but more like a reddish-brown tinge imparted by the use of soy sauce. Originally the cooking method would be to slowly simmer a whole chicken in a spiced mixture of soy sauce, rice wine and water. Here, I give a slow-cooker method which would make the chicken also tender but without the long waiting. The meat of the chicken fell apart from the bones and I was very pleased with the ratio of the spices with the other ingredients. The red-cooking liquid can be saved after you allow it to cool down a bit and strain it through a strainer. Discard any solids and keep in the refrigerator for a week or 10 days. Anything you don’t use within those days I advise you to freeze it. To reuse the liquid, discard the solidified fat at the top and pour the liquid into the cooker, add a fresh chicken and proceed as directed in the recipe. After every third or fourth use, refresh the liquid by adding 1/2 cup of soy sauce and half of the seasonings.

When I served it, I paired it with a baby bok choy stir-fried with lots of garlic and steamed rice. It’s a very good dinner even my son who seldom asked for second, wanted a little bit more rice with the sauce on top. Brilliant!

Red-Cooked Chicken
Serves 4 to 6
Cooker: Medium or large, oval preferred

One 3- to 4-pound broiler/fyer

Red-cooking liquid:
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons sugar
2 green onions (white and green parts), roughly chopped
Two 1/2-inch slices ginger, lightly crushed
1 whole star anise
1 stick cinnamon
1 clove garlic, lightly crushed
1 strip (about 3 inches) orange zest, removed with a vegetable peeler

Wash the chicken and dry thoroughly. Remove the gibblets and discard or reserve for another use. Cut off any lumps of fat. If you have time, place the chicken on a plate and refrigerate it uncovered for a couple of hours. The drier the chicken is, the more color it will absorb from the sauce.

Combine the red-cooking liquid ingredients in the crock and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the chicken and turn to coat it with liquid. Leave it breast side up. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.

Carefully turn the chicken over, breast side down, using a sturdy wooden spoon inserted in the cavity and a rubber spatula to help you guide the chicken; take care to avoid splashing. Cover and cook on HIGH until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180°F, about 1 hour more.

Remove the chicken from the cooker. If you wish to serve it cold, refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled before cutting it up. To serve the chicken warm, put it on a cutting board and allow it to cool a bit. Then carve the chicken Western style, or if you have a heavy cleaver, chop it into 2-inch pieces. Arrange the chicken on a platter and drizzle a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid over it.

Source: Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann

easy stir-fry baby bok choy with lotsa garlic…

Call me old-fashioned but I love tapioca pudding. If there’s a diner that serves this dessert I would definitely try it every time. Something about it makes me feel comforted; the creaminess of it in my mouth all the way down to my stomach. The eggy flavor is pronounced in this pudding but that what makes me long for it, it mellows my mind away.

Since I was given a slow cooker by my mother-in-law, I decided to make use of it most of the time. The time of the season couldn’t be more perfect. It’s fall, my cooking and baking will gravitate toward comfort, rather heavy foods. I’ve also decided to add slow cooking as a new category in my blog, hopefully I will be making quite some great food with the slow cooker.

I don’t think I’ve had great success making tapioca pudding stove-top style. The egg tends to curdle and I don’t like that. This recipe will give a perfect tapioca pudding albeit a little too sweet for me. My husband didn’t think so though. If you like you could use less sugar than the amount given in the recipe. For a little surprise, sprinkle some flavored cocoa powder on top of the pudding. Enjoy!

Creamy Tapioca Pudding
Serves 4

1 cup whole milk
1 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup small pearl tapioca (not instant)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Flavored or plain cocoa powder for serving (optional)

Coat the slow cooker with butter-flavor nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the milk, sugar, tapioca, and vanilla in the cooker; stir well with a whisk. Cover and cook on LOW until the milk is absorbed, the pudding thickened, and most of the tapioca balls are completely transparent, about 1 1/2 hours. Some of them will still have a white dot at their centers; that is okay. While cooking, the milk will be gently bubbling.

Beat the egg in a cup or small bowl. Stir the tapioca thoroughly to break up any clumps. Spoon a few tablespoons of the hot tapioca into the egg and beat well; pour the mixture into the cooker and stir well with a spoon or spatula to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes.

Turn off the cooker and let the pudding cool, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Serve warm or pour into individual bowls, cover and chill. Serve plain or sprinkle some flavored or plain cocoa powder on top. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

Source: adapted from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann