ADVENTURES WITH MY SLOW COOKER

I am so enjoying my ongoing conversation with my slow cooker.

It sits next to my stove and I glance at it frequently, wondering what we

will do together next. I have many plans but proceed slowly so that I'm not

simply cooking foods to give away.

Strangely, I have been disappointed by the cookbooks I've come across that

address this intriguing method of cooking. I expected to find many good books

for Crock-Pots and other slow cookers, but that has not been the case. Too

often recipes seem to treat the appliance as a vehicle for low heat and

nothing more.

I've wanted to see what it can do on its own, or nearly so. Do flavors

unfold differently? Must you always saute everything before adding it to the

slow cooker? Are some things actually better cooked in this way? What happens

if I don't heat the liquid I add, as so many recipes insist I must?

I like what I've discovered. When you are making soup that calls for an

onion or two, you don't need to saute it first. It will go through a rather

gnarly period, like a teenager, but those rough flavors and aromas will mellow

and eventually merge to create a beautiful whole.

Certain flavors -- I've noticed this especially with spices and with

mushrooms -- blossom in a rich unfamiliar way, becoming beautifully complex.

This is a thrilling development that hints of many delicious possibilities.

These recipes represent my current successes. And I'm happy to report that

I'm not keeping any secrets; this time around, I have had no failures.

Of all my experiments with my slow cooker, this one has most surprised me.

I made it late at night and awoke early to the most delicious aromas. The

soup, which had been pale, nearly blonde, when I went to bed had turned a deep

rich brown. The mushrooms had taken on an earthy savor, a dark and exotic

flavor threaded through with a refined but powerful heat, the fingerprints of

white pepper, which had, during the long night, blossomed in a way that was

entirely new to me. So good was the soup at this stage that I nearly hesitated

to touch it further. In the end I pureed it, added cream and Madeira and

topped my first bowlful with creme fraiche and snipped chives. It was heavenly

but I imagine there will come a time when I enjoy it in its earlier stage,

roughhewn and absolutely magical.

Slow-Cooked Mushroom Soup with Madeira and White Pepper

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 cups homemade chicken stock

4 tablespoons butter

1 yellow onion, diced

1 shallot, minced

-- Kosher salt

2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns

2 pounds specialty mushrooms, see Note below, cleaned

1 sprig thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

2/3 cup half and half or heavy cream

1 cup Madeira, preferably Rainwater

-- Black pepper in a mill

1 cup creme fraiche

3 tablespoons fresh snipped chives or minced fresh Italian parsley

Put the chicken stock into a Crock-Pot or slow cooker and set on high.

Put the butter into a large saute pan set over medium heat and when the

butter is melted, add the onion and shallot and saute until they are soft and

fragrant, about 9 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and add to the chicken

stock, along with the white peppercorns.

Break or tear the mushrooms into evenly sized pieces about 1-inch wide and

add to the chicken stock. Add 3 cups water, stir and add the thyme.

After 1 hour, decrease the setting on the cooker to low. Cover and cook for

several hours and overnight.

To finish the soup, use tongs to remove and discard the thyme sprig, if

using.

Stir in the half and half or cream and the Madeira and warm through.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.

Taste and correct for salt.

To serve, ladle into soup plates, garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche

and chives or parsley and enjoy immediately.

I often think of potato soup as a cook's canvas. Although it is yummy on

its own, it is even better as a foundation for other ingredients. In the

winter months, I love to use greens to make a beautifully colored invigorating

soup that may not cure a cold but feels as if it is. If you have never cooked

with nettles before, be warned: They are indeed stinging nettles so do not

touch them until they have been blanched. Just a few seconds in boiling water

renders them both harmless and delicious.

Slow-cooked Potato Soup with Winter Greens

Makes 4 to 6 servings

5 to 6 medium potatoes of choice, scrubbed

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cups homemade chicken stock

-- Kosher salt

-- Black peppercorns

3 or 4 sage leaves, optional

1 to 1 1/2 pounds mixed greens (see Note below)

1 lemon

-- Creme fraiche

Using a sharp knife or the slicing blade of a food processor, cut the

potatoes into thin slices and put the sliced potatoes into a Crock Pot or

other slow cooker.

Add the onions, the chicken stock and enough water to cover the potatoes

and onions by about one inch. Season generously with salt and add about a

teaspoon of whole peppercorns, 2 or 3 generous pinches of red pepper flakes

and the sage leaves, if using.

Set the cooker on high and cover.

After about 1 hour, by which time the liquid should be simmering gently,

reduce the heat to low and cook for several hours or overnight. Reduce the

heat to warm.

To finish the soup, fill a saucepan two-thirds full with water, add a

generous 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil over high heat.

Blanch the greens for 30 seconds, transfer to a strainer and drain way

excess water. Stir the greens into the potatoes and use an immersion blender

to puree the mixture, stopping now and then to stir so that any clumps of

greens break up. Carefully taste and correct for salt.

You can keep the soup covered and warm for several hours.

To serve, stir the soup and then ladle it into soup bowls. Add a generous

spoonful of creme fraiche and a drizzle of lemon to each portion, season

lightly with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Note: Use the best winter greens that you have, a mix of everything from

spinach and chard to turnip greens, beet greens, mustard greens and kale. I

particularly enjoy a mix of about 8 ounces fresh nettles, 4 ounces of

watercress, 4 ounces of young dandelion greens and one bunch of pert radish

greens, though I never actually measure the quantities. It is a very flexible

recipe. You may also use Lacinato kale but you'll need to remove the tough

stems, slice the greens into 1-inch crosswise strips and blanch them for about

45 seconds. If your immersion blender is not much of a workhorse, chop the

greens with a sharp knife after blanching them. This will make the pureeing

process easier.

I love French onion soup and over the years have made many versions. This

one stands among the best, with the layers of flavor that slow cooking

encourages. There is no way around sauteing the onions first, as you need to

draw out their sugars for the full flavors to emerge. Be sure to warn guests

not to touch the very hot bowl (which you should not set too close to the

broiler, lest the bowls break).

Slow-Cooked French Onion Soup

Makes 6 to 8 servings

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

7 to 8 yellow onions, very thinly sliced

6 to 8 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

-- Kosher salt

8 cups homemade beef stock

1 cup red wine

1 cup dry sherry or Madeira

-- Black pepper in a mill

6 to 8 slices rustic hearth bread, preferably sourdough, toasted

8 ounces grated cheese, such as Gruyere, St. George, Carmody or Italian

Fontina

Put the butter in a large skillet, add the olive oil, and when the butter

is melted add the sliced onions and cook, turning the onions in the pan now

and thenuntil they are wilted, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cook about 15 minutes

more, until the onions begin to release their sugar and take on a bit of

color. Add the garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Season with salt and transfer

to a slow cooker.

Pour 7 cups of the beef stock over the onions and set the cooker on high.

Return the pan to the heat and deglaze it with the red wine; simmer until

the wine is reduced by half. Stir in the remaining stock and the sherry or

Madeira and cook until the liquid is reduced to about 3/4 of a cup. Stir

into the onion mixture.

After 1 hour, set the cooker on low, cover and cook for several hours or

overnight.

To finish the soup, taste it, correct for salt and season with black

pepper.

Preheat an oven broiler.

Ladle the soup into soup bowls and set a piece of toast on top of each

portion. Sprinkle cheese over the bread and soup, so that it covers the entire

surface.

Set the bowls on a baking sheet and set under the broiler just long enough

for the cheese to melt and take on a bit of color.

Michele Anna Jordan can be contacted via e-mail at

michele@micheleannajordan.com.