To those who wait
Northern Irish chef Nathan Anthony shares his tips for slow cooker success in his new cookbook, which focuses on alling in love with lunch again.
Steak and Guinness pie
“Being Irish, it won’t be a surprise that I love Guinness or that I love pies,” says Anthony. “Traditionally made pies can be a bit of a labour of love, but this is the easiest pie recipe you’ll ever make – just throw it in, let it cook away during the day, add a pastry lid and serve. It’s honestly that easy.”
Serves 6. Ingredients: 800g beef steak or rump (or 1kg brisket), chopped; 440ml can of Guinness; 200ml beef stock; 1tbsp tomato puree; 1tsp dried rosemary; 1tsp dried thyme; 1tsp dried oregano; 1 bay leaf; 1tbsp brown sugar; 2 carrots, roughly chopped; 1 red onion, chopped; 1 celery stick, chopped; 1 heaped tbsp cornflour; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry; 1 egg, beaten, to glaze the pastry; salt and pepper, to taste; tenderstem broccoli, and carrot and parsnip mash, to serve (optional).
Throw all the ingredients, except the pastry and egg, in the slow cooker.
Cook on high for four hours or low for seven to eight hours. Discard the bay leaf.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Top the beef filling with the puff pastry, tuck it round the pie, then brush with the beaten egg.
Pop the ovenproof slow-cooker pot (without the lid) into the oven for 25 minutes until golden and crisp. If your slow-cooker pot isn’t oven-safe, decant the filling into an ovenproof pot, cover with the pastry, brush with the egg and bake as above.
Serve with tenderstem broccoli, and carrot and parsnip mash, if you like. ■ Tip: To get the pastry the right size, put your slow cooker lid on top of your puff pastry sheet and cut round it before adding to the slow cooker.
Red pepper bruschetta pasta
This is the recipe Anthony came up with when trying to decide between two favourite dishes: bruschetta and pasta. “The result is this soft pasta with lots of flavour, crunchy croutons and a drizzle of balsamic: stunning. I do enjoy making my own sourdough croutons in the air fryer or the oven, but shop-bought croutons work very well if you don’t have the time,” he says.
Serves 3. Ingredients: 2 x 300g jars of roasted red peppers, chopped; 15 cherry tomatoes, quartered; 700g passata; 1tsp dried oregano; 4 garlic cloves, grated; generous handful of fresh basil; 250g fresh lasagne sheets, cut into thick strands; salt and pepper, to taste; 4tsp balsamic vinegar; croutons; 50g grated vegetarian Parmesan cheese, to serve.
Add the peppers, tomatoes, passata, oregano, grated garlic, salt and pepper and most of the basil to the slow cooker. Cook on high for two hours or low for four hours. Add the lasagne strands and cook for a further 20-25 minutes (if cooking on low, you may need slightly
longer). Plate up and top the pasta with the balsamic vinegar, croutons, Parmesan and remaining fresh basil.
■ Tip: To make your own sourdough croutons, cube a couple of slices of bread, toss them in olive oil and put in the air fryer at 200°C for six minutes, or on a baking tray in a 200°C oven for 10-12 minutes.
Carrot cake overnight oats
“Usually served cold out of the fridge, this warm version of overnight oats made in the slow cooker is next level,” says Anthony. “It’s a sneaky way to get veggies in at breakfast, while at the same time tasting of carrot cake.”
Serves 4. Ingredients: 500ml skimmed milk; 150g porridge oats; 1tsp vanilla extract; 1tbsp ground cinnamon; 1tsp ground nutmeg; handful of dried fruit (around 50g), chopped; 200g Greek yogurt; 2 large carrots, grated. To serve: 25g chopped walnuts; zest of 1 orange; 4tbsp honey
Mix all the ingredients, except the walnuts, orange and honey, in your slow cooker. Cook on low for eight hours. If you’re an early riser, throw it all in and cook on high for three hours.
Serve with the chopped walnuts, orange zest and a drizzle of honey.
■ Tip: If it looks a little dry at any point, add a splash more milk. If cooking overnight, add a few extra splashes at the start so it doesn’t dry out.