Beef Keema (serves 4-6)

Beef Keema by The Fat Foodie

Beef keema is an Indian curry which is based on slow cooked beef mince and peas in a rich tomato sauce. Although I make mine with beef mince you can also make it with lamb mince if you prefer. As with many curries, such as my Lamb Dansac, this beef keema is absolutely fantastic when cooked throughout the day in the slow cooker, particularly when the weather’s definitely on the turn towards winter and you look forward to coming home to a warming meal after work. Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2018

Beef and Guinness Casserole (serves 4)

Beef and Guinness Casserole by The Fat Foodie

It’s really getting cold now, with thick layers of ice on everything seeming commonplace, and it seems like my slow cooker is going on very frequently in an attempt to combat the incessantly encroaching cold. Before I left to go to work the other day I put a beef and Guinness casserole in the slow cooker and it was an absolute delight to come home to. The minute I walked in the front door I was hit by the rich, rib-sticking aroma of beef that had been slow-cooked in deep, yeasty beer. Heaven indeed.

Continue reading

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2017

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken by The Fat Foodie

The last time I went shopping I bought a reduced whole chicken, but when I got home I realised that I’d forgotten that I was working the following day and wouldn’t have time to cook it. Now, I’ve read before that you can cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker, but I’ve never tried it because I wasn’t sure what the results would be like. So, I figured it’d be as good a time as any to try it!

I decided to make a base layer trivet of new potatoes and carrots so that the bottom of the chicken would be protected from the heat of the slow cooker and this worked out well because the cooked potatoes and carrots went really nicely with the cooked chicken. In terms of size, my slow cooker is a 3.5 litre one and it fitted the chicken perfectly, but it wouldn’t be a problem if you had a larger slow cooker. I was a bit of a scaredy cat and added a bit of hot water into the slow cooker in case it ran dry, but to be honest I don’t think it was necessary because the chicken naturally released enough liquid and oil throughout the cooking process that it would not have been in danger of drying out at all.

The slow cooker whole chicken was a triumph and is an experiment that I’ll happily remake soon in the future. Although it didn’t have that flavour that is unique to a roast chicken, when I went to take the chicken out of the slow cooker the meat was so tender that it simply fell off the bone and it was complemented by the lovely soft new potatoes and sweet carrots. I had intended on serving it with gravy, but we ended up just having it with sharp, vinegary pickles, salty capers and sinus-burningly hot creamed horseradish. All in all, it was a delicious dinner to greet me after a long day at work and I’ll definitely be making this slow cooker whole chicken again.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

New potatoes (enough for however many people you’re feeding)

Carrots (enough for however many people you’re feeding and peeled & cut into large pieces)

Method:

Put your slow cooker on low and put your carrots and potatoes in the bottom.

The Base Vegetables For Slow Cooker Whole Chicken by The Fat Foodie

Place the whole chicken on top and let the slow cooker cook throughout the day.

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Ready to be Baked by The Fat Foodie

Remove from the slow cooker and serve.

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken by The Fat Foodie

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2017

Beef Casserole with Buttered Neeps (serves 4)

Beef Casserole with Buttered Neeps by The Fat Foodie

Yesterday morning I realised that I wasn’t really in the mood for cooking anything complicated for dinner so I made a beef casserole in the slow cooker which I served with buttered neeps and it was delicious. Although I would usually make the base of my casseroles with diced onion or shredded white leeks it’s sadly a very high FODMAP food so it’s off the menu. However, I’ve read that the green leafy tops of leeks are actually low FODMAP and therefore are suitable to eat without feeling any unwanted side effects.

Now, I’ve thought about testing this before, but I’m so reluctant to buy leeks (or spring onions whose green tops are also fine) because I’d be unable to use the full vegetable and it would go to waste. Thankfully however, my aunt and uncle who have an allotment generously gave me two huge leeks that had beautiful, massive, flourishing green tops and I certainly wasn’t going to waste time in putting them to good use. The oniony flavour of the leek tops within the beef casserole was also enhanced by the addition of a bouquet garni, which is a muslin bag or tea bag case that’s filled with dried herbs, such as thyme, bay leaves and rosemary and it infuses the herby flavours throughout the casserole as it slowly cooks throughout the day.

I’ve written about the numerous benefits of using a slow cooker before and today is no different. I just love the fact that you can throw fairly cheap ingredients into the slow cooker and leave it to cook throughout the day, allowing all of the composite flavours to meld together to create a rich, unctuous casserole that greets you after a long day at work.

This beef casserole with buttered neeps is an incredibly easy, but luxurious and flavoursome, meal. Its slow cooked beef melts in the mouth and is accompanied by the soft, sweet carrots that have been lightly seasoned with the herby flavours of the bouquet garni. It’s just a great slow cooked casserole that’ll satisfy the whole family.

Ingredients:

700g casserole beef

4 large carrots (cut into bite-sized pieces)

50g of green leek tips (thinly shredded)

bouquet garni

80g gluten-free gravy granules (At the time of writing, Tesco’s G/F gravy is good because it does not contain onion powder.)

A litre of boiling water

1 neep (or swede) peeled & cut into small chunks (no more than 240g of prepared neep/swede in total)

30g butter (or dairy-free version)

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Method:

Put your slow cooker on low and make your gravy by mixing the gravy granules into the litre of boiling water and stirring until it forms a thick gravy.

Put the beef, carrot pieces, shredded leeks, bouquet garni and gravy into the slow cooker and stir well.

Leave your slow cooker to cook all day.

To make the buttered neeps cut your neep or turnip into small chunks and boil in heavily salted water until soft.

Drain and mash before adding the butter and white pepper and mashing further. Taste for seasoning and then serve alongside the beef casserole.

Beef Casserole with Buttered Neeps by The Fat Foodie

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2017