New cookbooks extol use of single-pot cuisine

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A slow cooker is a useful gift for a young adult establishing her place in the world. Even if that woman’s parents still ridicule her about the time she ruined instant brownies.

The slow cooker, popularized by the Crock-Pot, has endured as a novice cook’s dream. The ease of preparing a traditional Yankee pot-roast dinner – with the roast, carrots and potatoes neatly simmering in a single pot – can give even the most nervous cook confidence.

“No longer just a way to cook tough cuts of meat, slow cookers are now used to prepare everything from breakfast to bread pudding,” says Robin Robertson in her new cookbook “Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker” ($14.95, The Harvard Common Press, 2004).

One of the nicest and perhaps least-known benefits of the slow cooker is its versatility.

Hosting friends? A few hours before company comes, throw some frozen meatballs, sliced kielbasa or cocktail franks into the cooker, cover with grape jelly and chili sauce. Or combine ground beef with cubes of processed cheese, salsa and Mexican seasonings for a tortilla chip dip.

But what about families trying to eat healthily, or vegetarians?

For people who miss the meat in meatless recipes, Tuscan White Bean and Escarole Soup is too full of satisfying ingredients to feel it lacks anything. Cannellini beans, ditalini pasta (or any tiny pasta) and escarole create a filling and fairly economical soup.

For those, however, who like to cook soup and parcel out portions to bring to work for a few days, the escarole in the Tuscan soup does not hold up well to time in the refrigerator. The flavor and texture is best fresh from the cooker, and using Robertson’s recipe for Vegetable Super-Stock also boosts the quality.

The Vegetable Super-Stock is a winner, no matter one’s diet preferences. Cooks accustomed to the rich stock rendered by simmering a turkey or chicken carcass with vegetables will not be disappointed by this fine soup base. In principle, roasting the ingredients for a half-hour in the oven before cooking with liquid intensifies the stock’s flavor, according to the recipe. In practice, the lovely smells released by the simmering vegetables confirm its robust taste.

For those who can’t quite imagine a meal without meat, perhaps someone of Polish descent who hankers for kielbasa, Dutch Farmer Bean Soup is a nice alternative to the Tuscan soup.

Included in the cookbook “The Best Family Slow Cooker Recipes” by Donna-Marie Pye ($18.95, Robert Rose Inc., 2003), the Dutch soup complements great Northern beans, baby spinach and carrots with the not-quite-so-bad-for-you turkey kielbasa. Using low-sodium chicken stock also will reduce some salt in this savory, hearty dish.

Both soup recipes are warming on a cool day but have a fresh, springlike quality due to their nice use of greens, making them tempting no matter what the weather.

In terms of weather, another winning quality of the slow cooker is its ability to fill the kitchen with wonderful aromas without creating heat. In the summer – particularly if your house is small – this is a great thing. In winter, breads or desserts don’t have to compete with the main course for oven time.

Of course, new slow-cooker recipe books don’t leave out the sweet stuff. One can always create dessert in the cooker and then fix dinner on the stovetop.

Or just pick up another slow cooker. Make Mom forget about the brownie disaster.

Judy Long is a Bangor Daily News copy editor and she can be reached at jlong@bangordailynews.net.

Dutch Farmer Bean Soup

Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 cup baby carrots

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning

2 19-ounce cans Great Northern or white kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or 4 cups home-cooked white beans

4 smoked turkey kielbasa sausages, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/2-inch pieces

2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

Combine carrots, onion, garlic, stock, Italian seasoning and beans in slow cooker stoneware.

Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 10 hours or on High for 2 to 4 hours, or until vegetables are tender and soup is bubbling.

Transfer 2 cups soup to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return pureed mixture to slow cooker and add kielbasa and spinach. Cover and cook on High for 15 to 20 minutes, or until spinach is wilted and kielbasa is heated through.

Vegetable Super-Stock

Makes about 8 cups

1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large all-purpose potato, left unpeeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 celery rib, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 garlic cloves, left unpeeled and crushed

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves

4 dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup hot water until softened, drained, and soaking liquid strained of grit and reserved

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon tamari or other soy sauce

7 cups water

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Place the onion, carrots, potato, parsnip, celery, and garlic in a lightly oiled baking pan. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables until slightly browned, turning once, about 30 minutes total.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the parsley, mushrooms and their soaking water, bay leaves, peppercorns, tamari, 1 teaspoon salt, and the water. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours, until the vegetables are soft and the stock is a rich golden color.

Let the stock cool slightly, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or pot, pressing against the solids with the back of a spoon to release the liquid. Use at once or let cool completely, then portion and store in the refrigerator in tightly covered containers. Properly stored, the stock will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.