Dana Gilbert-Hangartner requested recipes to use in her new slow cooker, specifically those for beef, chicken and soups. Many readers shared their favorites. Shirley Dawley offers two recipes for Dana to try, one for vegetable beef soup and the other for arroz con pollo. She has made them many times and marked them "very good" in her cookbook. Zelda Phipps shares a recipe for baby back ribs. Zelda prefers to use mesquite-flavored barbecue sauce. Patricia Eckstein shares a recipe for pot roast.
For: Dana Gilbert-Hangartner of St. Petersburg
From: Shirley Dawley of Sun City Center
Recipe: Vegetable Beef Soup
VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
1 to 2 pounds beef shanks, oxtails, short ribs or veal bones
1-pound can of tomatoes
2 carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery with tops, sliced
2 medium onions, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
4 peppercorns
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 package 10-ounce frozen mixed vegetables, peas or lima beans*
Put all ingredients in slow cooker. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 12 to 24 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours.
* May be added during the last 2 hours of cooking.
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For: Dana Gilbert-Hangartner of St. Petersburg
From: Shirley Dawley of Sun City Center
Recipe: Arroz con Pollo
ARROZ CON POLLO
3 to 4 pounds cut-up chicken
Salt, pepper, paprika to taste
1 large onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 small can pimiento, diced
¼ to ½ teaspoon chili powder
2 bouillon cubes
¼ to ½ pound precooked pork sausage or 1 cup diced ham
1 (12-ounce) can tomatoes
1 cup long grain raw rice
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed
Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper and paprika. Put all ingredients except rice and peas in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 10 hours or high for 4 hours. Turn to high 1 to 2 hours before serving. Add rice and peas at this time. Cover and continue cooking on high until rice is tender. Stir occasionally.
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For: Dana Gilbert-Hangartner of St. Petersburg
From: Zelda Phipps of St. Petersburg
Recipe: Baby Back Ribs
BABY BACK RIBS
1 to 1½ slabs of baby back ribs cut into 3 to 4 rib sections
1 large onion, sliced
1 bottle of barbecue sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Place a small amount of barbecue sauce on the bottom of the cooker. Place 3 to 4 rib sections on top of the sauce and put half of the sliced onions on top of ribs and add a little salt and pepper. Pour a small amount of barbecue sauce over ribs. Put remaining ribs in slow cooker and top with remaining onions and barbecue sauce and a little salt and pepper. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.
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For: Dana Gilbert-Hangartner of St. Petersburg
From: Patricia Eckstein of Kenneth City
Recipe: Favorite Pot Roast
FAVORITE POT ROAST
3½ to 4 pounds boneless pot roast
¼ cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 carrots, pared, sliced lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 small onions, sliced
1 stalk celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 jar (2 ounces) mushrooms, drained OR ¼ cup mushroom gravy
3 tablespoons flour
¼ cup water
Trim all excess fat from roast; brown and drain if using chuck or another highly marbled meat. Combine the flour, salt and pepper. Coat meat with flour mixture. Place all vegetables except mushrooms in slow cooker and top with roast. (Cut roast in half, if necessary, to fit easily.) Spread mushrooms evenly over top of roast. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours.
If desired, turn to high during last hour to soften vegetables and make a gravy. To thicken gravy, make a smooth paste of the 3 tablespoons of flour and water and stir into cooker. Season to taste before serving.
Serves 4 to 6.
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Recipe request
Carol Hunt is looking for the Cracker Barrel side dish recipe for lima beans and bacon.
You Asked for It is a reader mail column. Send requests to You Asked for It, the St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to youaskedforit@knology.net Please put "Recipe request" in the subject line. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number.
