Slow Cooking in the Cottages

We're always looking for ways to make improvements to our cottages to make our guests' stays even better. So we've gone and bought a slow cooker for each cottage. We thought with long winter nights on the horizon, what could be better after a long day out on the trails than a hot, home cooked meal? Here are some recipes for delicious dinners you can chuck in the slow cooker before you head out, and enjoy when you get home.

Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs (feeds 4-6)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 5 lb. bone-in beef short ribs, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 c. rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. crush red pepper flakes (optional )
• 3 Carrots, medium, peeled and chopped into thirds
• 1 yellow onion, large, sliced into 1/2 inch wedges
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 inch piece ginger, thinly sliced
• Toasted sesame seeds, for serving
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, for serving
• Cooked short grain white rice, for serving

Recipe

Step 1

Season your short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then, brown short ribs on all sides, which should take about 8 minutes.

Step 2

Place the short ribs into the slow cooker and pour off all but 3 tablespoons of drippings from the pot.

Step 3

Whisk the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes.

Step 4

Add the carrots and onions to the pan, and cook until browned. Add the garlic and ginger and brown until it’s fragrant. Then remove them from the heat and deglaze with the reserved soy sauce mixture, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker.

Step 5

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hour - until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone.

Step 6

Garnish your short ribs with toasted sesame seeds and green onions. Then spoon sauce over the rice and serve.

Recipe and image via delish.com.au

Slow cooker stuffed capsicum (feeds 2-4)

Ingredients

• 700ml bottle passata
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 cups cooked brown rice & quinoa blend (see Note)
• 2 zucchini, finely chopped
• 150g feta, crumbled, plus extra to serve
• 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives, drained, rinsed
• 4 large red capsicums
• 1/4 cup finely chopped basil leaves, plus extra leaves, to serve

Recipe

Step 1

Place the passata, onion, garlic in the  slow-cooker with half a cup of water. Season.

Step 2

Combine the rice blend, zucchini, feta, olives and basil in a bowl. Season. Cut the top from the capsicums and empty each capsicum of seeds etc. Fill the empty capsicums with the rice mixture. Replace the capsicum tops to cover the filling. Stand capsicums upright in passata mixture. Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours.

Step 3

Serve.

Recipe and image via taste.com.au

Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs (feeds 2-4)

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup ketchup
• ⅓ cup honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Rice to serve

Recipe

Step 1

Place the chicken thighs into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Step 2

Whisk the soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, and basil together in a bowl, then pour the mixture over the chicken.

Step 3

Cook on low for 6 hours.

Step 4

Serve with rice

Recipe and image via allrecipes.com

Slow Cooker Mac ‘n’ Cheese (feeds 8-10)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. elbow macaroni
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) melted butter
• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup freshly grated grated Parmesan
• 2 (12-oz.) cans evaporated milk
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Finely chopped chives, for garnish (optional)

Recipe

Step 1

Combine the macaroni, butter, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan, evaporated milk, whole milk, garlic powder, and paprika in the slow cooker. Season it with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Cook on high until the pasta is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 hours, checking after 2 hours, then every 20 minutes after.

Step 3

Garnish with chives and serve.

Recipe and image via delish.com.au

Slow Cooker Beef Chuck Pot Roast (feeds 4-6)

Ingredients

• 3lb (1.5 kg) chuck roast
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 1oz (30g) dried onion soup mix
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 gold potatoes, diced
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• ½ cup (120mL) water

Recipe

Step 1

Place the chuck roast in the slow cooker and season it with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Sprinkle the onion soup pack over the meat and top with the potatoes, carrots and water.

Step 3

Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4-5 hours.

Step 4

Serve and enjoy!

Image and recipe via tasty.co

Slow cooker tips

1. Try not to lift the lid on the slow cooker unless you absolutely have to! This allows the heat to escape. Also, it’s best to cut your ingredients into similar-sized chunks so that they cook evenly.
2. It can be a good idea to reduce the liquid content when converting recipes for the slow cooker as there is less evaporation when you slow cook. As a general recommendation, it’s best to use (125-250ml) less than you would for other cooking methods.
3. Slow cooking is the best way to cook cuts like chuck steak and lamb shoulder as they become extra tender
4. You can use a paper towel to blot any extra cooking fat that rises to the top, if you want to.

We hope you love your stay even more now!

Enjoy!