Falling In Love With The Slow Cooker

Fall is my favorite of the seasons.  The World Series is in full swing and as it's getting cooler outside, naturally my mind is directed to new menu selections.  Along with the change in temperature, this is the perfect time to rekindle love or spot a new love.  

I never ever planned when or how I would fall in love.  It was only by a chance meeting that I have acquired affection.  My first love was with the Cuisinart 16 Cup Food Processor that my mother gave me for my Sweet 16th birthday.  I knew that it was an extravagant ask for a teenager, but somehow I just knew that my desire would not fade. 

It never did. 

Sadly, after 3 decades of commitment and devotion, it died.  I vowed never to love another gadget.  After all, I'm a grownup now.  I understand that gadgets come and go and that nothing lasts forever.  After I retired from professional cooking, I gave away most of my cooking equipment except for a few of my best knives.  I didn't even own a large Kitchen Aid mixer.  I get by with a scaled-down version.  

But last year for New Year's eve, I decided to have a small neighborhood party so that the families with small children could come and bring their kids.  I needed a device to keep Hot Chocolate warm without using the cooktop of my gas range as a safety precaution. 

So, I went to Clement Street and found a brand knock off of a slow cooker.  I had convinced myself that the purchase wasn't over the top because I could donate it. To my surprise, the cost was under $20 and it had a nice exterior and after all, it only had to keep my homemade chocolate warm enough for the children. 

Months later, while sheltering in place, I found myself reorganizing one of my storage shelves in the garage and saw the cooker tucked away in the original packaging waiting to be donated.  I liked how well it worked for the party and I was bored with my quarantine routine of making breakfast, lunch, dinner, repeat.   Since my son and husband were both at home with me, ALL THE TIME, I decided to shake things up a little by making Mongolian Beef and Broccoli in that slow cooker. 

I had all the ingredients except for the beef, which I hurriedly picked up from my favorite butcher and so I set out to experiment with this gadget.  This was a meal for my boys.  I had no real expectation of success.  I just wanted to be unchained from the stove for just one evening, so  I served the beef along with brown rice and steamed broccoli.  They liked it.  In fact, they loved it! 

Could I have been wrong about the effectiveness of the slow cooker?  I was able to cook that meal without any thought of timing and with very little prep time.  I was free to take a walk on the beach, work on my painting, and relax all while dinner was cooking without me standing next to the gas range or the counter chopping block.  
Just to make sure that it wasn't a fluke, I decided to try other recipes in the slow cooker.  First, it was a Barbecue Brisket.  Delicious.  Secondly, I tried a 3 Bean Vegetarian Chili.  Success!  I decided to do more complex flavors in the slow cooker but I didn't trust the knock-off cooker with such a task.  So, I went out to purchase a name brand high-end cooker.  It was very pretty and it even matched the decor of the other small appliances in the kitchen.

This time, I'm making Dum Kay Pasanday, a Pakastani Celebration Beef dish that goes well with Jasmine Rice or Naan.  I'll let you try this recipe and let me know what you think?

Slow Cooker Dum Kay Pasanday (Masala-Rubbed Roast Beef)

INGREDIENTS

Spice Rub

• 1 tsp black peppercorn

• 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1/2 tsp whole cloves

• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

• 4 green cardamom pods

• 1 inch cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces

• 5 dried red chilies

• Low Sodium Beef Broth

Beef

• 2.2 lbs beef tenderloin, trimmed and chopped into thin 2-inch slices

• 1 tsp salt or to taste

• ½ cup plain yogurt

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp ginger paste

• 1 tsp garlic paste

• ¼ cup oil, canola/sunflower/vegetable

• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Toast spices in a dry skillet on medium-low heat for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until mustard seeds begin to pop. Cool completely and then grind into a powder using a spice or coffee grinder.

• On a large platter, mix the beef, salt, yogurt, lemon juice, ginger and garlic paste, and spice mix. Marinate for 2 hours, or more.

• Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and fry until caramelized, about 10 minutes.

• Add the marinated beef and cook on high heat till the meat is no longer pink, 5-7 minutes.

• Remove from stove. Place in Crock-Pot or any slow cooker, add 1 cup low sodium beef broth. Cook on low heat for 6 hours or high heat for 3 hours. Serve warm.