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Super Bowl parties

Crock pot recipes

By Times Staff
Published February 2, 2005

	Super Bowl parties A championship game plan Score points at your Super Bowl party by ripping a page from the slow cooker playbook. Kick off with kielbasa Sweet Onion Kielbasa is a dish that would make a super appetizer for your Super Bowl party, and it's a zip to cook, ready to serve in about half an hour.

Baked potato soup

Cooker: Large round.

Setting and cook time: HIGH for about 5 hours; butter, half-and-half, sour cream, salt and pepper added during last 30 minutes.

5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup sour cream (don't use nonfat)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 ounces bacon, cooked until crisp, drained on paper towels and crumbled

6 green onions (white and green parts), sliced, or 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Put the potatoes in the slow cooker and add water to cover. Cover and cook on HIGH until the potatoes are cooked and falling apart, about 5 hours.

Turn the cooker to LOW, add the butter, half-and-half and sour cream, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until hot, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the crumbled bacon and sliced green onions. Serve immediately or keep warm on LOW, adding water or milk to thin if necessary.

Serves 12.

Nutritional information per serving: 359 calories, 19g fat (11g saturated), 11g protein, 36g carbohydrates, 3g sodium, 414mg sodium.

Source: "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger (Harvard Common Press; $16.95).

Salsa Chili With Cilantro Cream

Cooker: Small or medium round or oval.

Setting and cook time: LOW for 7 to 8 hours; bell pepper and pinto beans added at 5 to 6 hours.

1 pound boneless beef chuck or round steak, trimmed of excess fat and cut into bite-size pieces

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 16-ounce jars thick-and-chunky salsa, mild or hot

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juice

1 medium-size red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Salt to taste

Cilantro Cream:

2/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Put the meat, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salsa and tomatoes in the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours.

Add the bell pepper and pinto beans, season with salt, and continue to cook on LOW for another 2 hours. The longer you let it simmer, the better it gets - within reason, of course.

To make the cilantro cream, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well combined. Cover and chill until serving. Serve the chili in bowls with a dollop of the cilantro cream and corn bread. Serves 6.

Times testing notes: We doubled the amount of meat and were glad we did. The original recipe says it serves four but we think six is more likely, especially with a square of filling corn bread.

Nutritional information per serving: 320 calories, 11g fat (5g saturated), 27g protein, 28g ccarbohydrates, 7g fiber, 1,020mg sodium. (Rinsing pinto beans will lessen sodium content.)

Source: "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger (Harvard Common Press; $16.95).

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Cornbread

2 cups fine-grind yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

11/4 teaspoons salt

4 large eggs

21/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (reduce the heat to 375 degrees if using a Pyrex dish). Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.

Whisk or sift the cornmeal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Add to the dry ingredients and pour the melted butter over the top of the batter. Stir until all the ingredients are moistened yet thoroughly blended, but take care not to overmix. Add any extra ingredients, such as bacon or pecans, at this time.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden around the edges and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into thick squares.

Serves 12.

Nutritional information per serving (using white flour): 270 calories, 10 gm fat (6g saturated), 7g protein, 40g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 922mg sodium. (If you use whole wheat flour, fiber count is 4g.)

Source: "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger (Harvard Common Press; $16.95).

Short Ribs of Beef Flavored With Chiles and Beer

Cooker: Large oval or round.

Setting and cook time: LOW for 7 to 9 hours.

2 12-ounce bottles beer

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons garlic powder

4 cups barbecue sauce of your choice, homemade or prepared

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup yellow mustard (not too hot)

1/2 cup honey

1 orange, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

1 medium-size white onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

4 pickled jalapenos, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings

2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained and chopped

12 pounds lean beef short ribs

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the beer, brown sugar, mustard and garlic powder in a medium-size bowl and stir until well blended. Add the barbecue sauce, vinegar, mustard and honey and stir until smooth.

Put the orange, onion, jalapenos and chipotle peppers in the slow cooker. Season the ribs with salt and pepper, and arrange them on top. Pour on the sauce, completely covering the ribs. Or, if you have a round cooker, stack the ribs, alternating them with sauce. Cover and cook on LOW until tender and the meat starts to separate from the bone, 7 to 9 hours.

Transfer the ribs to a platter and set aside. Let the sauce cool a bit, then spoon the liquid fat off the top and discard. Serve immediately or place the ribs on a hot grill to finish off and give the ribs more color. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and serve on the side.

Serves 10 to 14.

Nutritional information per serving for 14: 718 calories, 30g fat (12 g saturated), 59g protein, 49g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 1,420mg sodium.

[Last modified February 1, 2005, 18:20:20]