200 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

Cooking time: 2½ hours

Serves 2–3 as a main course

Vegetarian

20 cardamom pods

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 medium aubergines, about 250g (9oz) each, cut in half lengthways

2 tbsp Greek yogurt

Remove the green outer husks of the cardamom pods leaving only the black seeds behind and crush these lightly in a mortar with a pestle.

In a large bowl, mix the olive oil and lemon juice together, then add the crushed cardamom seeds and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Add the aubergine halves and toss in the dressing until evenly coated, then place them in the slow cooker dish. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 2½ hours.

Remove the aubergines from the slow cooker dish and leave to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, scoop the aubergine flesh out of the skins with a spoon and place in a large bowl. Add the yogurt and mix well. Season to taste.

Spoon the mixture into a serving dish and drizzle more olive oil generously over the top. Serve with warm pitta bread and salad as an appetiser or light lunch.

COOKING CONVENTIONALLY?

Place the aubergines in a baking dish, cover with foil and cook in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4 for 1–2 hours until tender, then continue as above.

MOROCCAN FILLED PEPPERS

Peppers and slow cooking go hand in hand – the long, gentle process brings out the best in the taste of the peppers. This is a great recipe for a mid-week supper or as a starter when entertaining.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 1½-2 hours

Serves 4

Vegetarian

4 red peppers

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

6 tbsp couscous

3 tbsp boiling water

4 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, flat-leaf parsley or mint

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

2 tomatoes, diced

1 tsp harissa paste

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Using a sharp knife, halve the peppers, attempting to cut along the centre of the stalk so that each half has a piece of stalk attached to it. Carefully remove the seeds, leaving the stalks intact, and arrange the peppers in a single layer in the slow cooker dish (they should fit snugly with few gaps between them). Divide the garlic slices between the peppers.

Place the couscous in a large bowl and add the boiling water. Add the herbs, olive oil, tomatoes and harissa paste, then season with salt and pepper and mix well. Spoon the mixture neatly into the pepper halves and drizzle a little more olive oil over the top. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 1½–2 hours or until the peppers are wonderfully soft but still holding their shape, and the couscous is tender. Serve immediately with some rocket leaves and dollops of Greek yoghurt.

I ALSO LIKE...

to do this with other vegetables, such as halved, hollowed-out courgettes, tomatoes and mini aubergines, using their diced flesh in the couscous stuffing mixture.

WARM TOMATO AND OLIVE CAPONATA

The gentle heat in slow cooking encourages all the wonderful flavours and sweetness out of these ingredients. This dish is rather like an Italian ratatouille and is great with fish and meat as an accompaniment, or as a meal in itself with pasta or a baked potato.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 4 hours

Serves 6 as an accompaniment

Vegetarian

2 large aubergines, cut into chunks

3 celery sticks, trimmed and finely diced

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

1 tbsp baby capers in brine, drained

75g (3oz) stoned olives

25g (1oz) caster sugar, plus extra to taste

150g (5oz) concentrated tomato purée

4 tbsp red wine vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper