A crock-pot, I'm talking about. It turns out that one of the best gifts under our Christmas tree six weeks ago was this stainless steel beauty purchased for me by my sister. My former slow cooker had certainly seen better days...the lid was chipped in several places and the hunter green color and ivy motif were embarrassingly eighties in style. Thus, I was quite happy to be given this sleekly updated version. (This also happens to be my very first stainless steel appliance...now if only I could replace my fridge, oven and dishwasher as well!)
While I have not historically been a super frequent user of crockpots, receiving this new one for Christmas motivated me to pull out some old recipes that put these little cookers to their best use. That is, turning tougher cuts of meat into tender, table-ready meals, by braising the meat in a small amount of liquid over several hours at a very low heat.
This cold and snowy Sunday in February practically dictated that our evening meal involve comfort food. I decided this morning upon Italian beef sandwiches, with macaroni and cheese alongside. The beef recipe was clipped from Taste of Home magazine a few years back and is a definite keeper. (And I love the fact that the gal who submitted it was a firefighter/paramedic from just up the road in Perrysburg, Ohio.) Crockpots have long been my cooking vessel of choice for chuck roast, and this recipe puts a delicious Italian spin on a classic shredded beef sandwich, through cooking the meat with pickled peppers and their liquid, combined with sliced onions and some choice herbs and spices.
The macaroni and cheese is an insanely simple concoction based upon a Southern Living recipe I copied down a decade ago and have since misplaced. However, one of the beauties of idiot-proof recipes being that they are easy to recreate, late this afternoon I threw together what I vaguely recalled the ingredients to be and was rewarded with a creamy casserole full of cheesy goodness.
Ahhh, comfort...
Italian Beef Sandwiches (adapted from Taste of Home)
1 jar (12 to 16 oz.) pepperoncinis
4 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large onion, sliced and quartered
8 to 10 crusty sandwich rolls, split
Drain pepperoncinis, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Remove and discard pepper stems, set whole peppers aside. Trim all excess fat from chuck roast and cut beef into very large chunks, set aside. In a small bowl, combine oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Place a third of the meat into the bottom of a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle half the dried herb mixture over the beef. Layer this with another third of the meat, then the sliced onion and whole peppers. Top with remaining meat and herb mixture, then pour reserved pepper-liquid over the top.
Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 9 hours, or until meat is tender. Shred beef with two forks. Using a slotted spoon to drain beef mixture well, serve beef and peppers on sandwich rolls. (We like a light coating of mayo on the rolls before piling on the beef).
Yields 8 to 10 big sandwiches, depending on size of the roll and amount of beef used for each.
Ridiculously Easy Macaroni and Cheese (adapted from Southern Living)
8 to 10 oz. medium sized pasta shells
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
In boiling water, cook pasta as directed on package until al dente. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, milk and shredded cheese. Once pasta is done, drain thoroughly. Mix cooked and drained pasta with soup mixture, stirring gently to combine well. Spoon into a lightly greased or sprayed baking dish (approx. 2 quart), bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until casserole is bubbling and nicely browned on top. (This could also be made with large elbow macaroni, but elbows don't quite envelope the creamy, cheesy sauce the way shells do.)
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