Slow cookers aren’t exactly novel — we’re pretty sure your parents or even grandparents have one tucked away in the cabinet somewhere — but every time we use one, we’re delighted anew by how it turns the humblest ingredients into a hearty, rib-sticking dinner at the push of a button. Case in point: Sarah DiGregorio’s slow-cooker beef stew, which transforms chuck roast and root vegetables into a luscious dinner that perfumes your whole home. “The recipe is very flexible and can fit your needs,” Jen P., a reader, notes, and she’s right. Brown the meat before braising, if you have time, and adjust the honey and balsamic vinegar to suit your sweet-sour tastes. (If you prefer your beef stew untouched by the marvels of technology, here’s our beloved old-fashioned beef stew recipe.)
Featured Recipe
Slow-Cooker Beef Stew
Hanukkah starts tonight, and we have lots (and lots) of excellent recipes to help you celebrate the holiday. Joan Nathan’s new cheese sambousek, adapted from a recipe by Rachel Harary Gindi, are delightful little pocket pastries filled with your choice of melty cheese. For something a bit more substantial, there’s Joan’s doro wat, a richly spiced Ethiopian chicken dish. After a quick bake in the oven, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are simmered in a spiced onion gravy and served with injera, rice or pita. Hard-boiled eggs are optional, but highly recommended; the creamy yolks are an excellent sponge for that deeply savory sauce.
If you’re looking for meatless mains, Melissa Clark’s new spiced vegetable phyllo pie is a sheet-pan stunner. Mix and match your favorite vegetables — Melissa lists sweet potatoes, cauliflower and zucchini, but there’s no reason broccoli or Yukon Golds couldn’t find their way in — and make the pie’s chickpea-vegetable stew ahead of time if you’re the plan-ahead type. And you can make both the velvety enchilada sauce and black bean mixture in Ali Slagle’s vegetarian bean and cheese enchiladas up to five days in advance of serving, so come dinnertime all you have to do is assemble, bake and dive in.
And speaking of planning ahead: Start your figgy pudding now, as it needs a good couple of weeks for the breadcrumbs, dried and fresh fruit, and liquor to fully mellow and ripen. That way, when it’s rolled out for Christmas dinner, it has fully absorbed all those holiday spices and sugar and booze. Sorta like us.
