Slow Cooker Comfort Food

Slow Cooker Comfort Food is not the first slow cooker book Judith Finlayson has written at least six others...I even have one or two myself. And now that the weather is turning cooler and I know...like it or not...that those brisk days of Fall will be followed by the bone chilling cold of winter in the Maritimes...let's just say....slow cooked comfort food sounds just about right to me.

When I think comfort food + slow cooker, I first think of roasts or stews and there are plenty of those in the book. In fact....

...first up Sunday Pot Roast Dinner , which met all the comfort food criteria...lots of thick, rich gravy, meat that falls apart - you only need a fork, glass of wine and friends to round out the perfect meal. We had all the above.

And there are 28 soups from delicate like shrimp bisque to hearty gumbos and lentil based soups. There are even desserts (cranberry pecan pear crumble & maple spiked carrot pudding with candied ginger sound particularly appealing) and appetizers (lots of dips and what really caught my attention - two kinds of corn bread! Yes, corn bread in the slow cooker! You actually place all the ingredients into a loaf or round pan that fits into your slow cooker...I definitely have to try that out).

But the most wonderful part of the book is the broad ethnic variety of dishes, lots of curries, Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives, smothered country-style ribs, lamb shanks braised in tomato sauce with lemon gremolata (one of my favorite Italian dishes), winter borscht that must be from Eastern Europe...the list is endless...well almost endless.

And I haven't even mentioned all the vegetarian dishes like gingery red lentils with spinach & coconut or saffron spiked squash tagine with couscous, tofu enchiladas....

All in all 275 serious comfort options to try.

Curry Cuisine

I seem to be on an Asian kick lately and was very excited when I received this Curry Cuisine - Fragrant dishes from India, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Long title but then... here's a quote from the cover:

"Originating in India, curries have been traveling across the world for thousands of years. Curry Cuisine follows this journey, exploring how immigrants adapted their cooking skills, accommodated new ingredients, and borrowed from existing native cuisines to create an astonishing cornucopia of hybrid curries"

I couldn't have said it better myself. Nor could I have been more surprised at the subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences from region to region, country to country.

There are many things to love about this book:

• glorious photos, not just of recipes, but of marketplaces and ingredients. You can smell the spices and hear the bustle!
  
• lovely intros painting a picture of each country and their curry preferences. Did you know that "every Pakistani would eat meat every day. Lentils & beans are also sometimes used as a main par of the curry, but mainly for economic reasons", or that Japan got its curry not from Asian neighbors but from the British in the mid 19th century?
  
• each chapter is focused on one particular region and opens with spices and herbs commonly used there.

Naturally the hardest part was choosing where to start....do I go with the curries I'm most familiar with Northern India - Rajasthan (lamb & sweet corn curry perfect for all the local corn being harvested), Delhi & Punjab (chicken curry recipe has me drooling), Lucknow & Awadh (lots of lamb choices which would be great with local Nova Scotia lamb), Bengal (the bhapa lobster looks very tempting) and Southern India - quite a few shrimp dishes catch my eye...and did you know that "South Indian cuisine employs a much simpler collection of spices & flavors and gives great importance to the balancing of flavors. Subtle variations are created and layering of spices makes the food lighter"? I just always thought of it as spicier - hotter.

But I digress...what about Myanmar & Maritime SE Asia - Malaysia, Singapore (chili crab anyone), Indonesia, the Philippines have lots of kaffir lime, lemongrass, tamarind, dried shrimp, coconut...the ingredients are fantastic. Then there's Thailand and I know I'll be trying one of the Mussaman curries. Cambodia has a steamed snails in curry custard that sounds intriguing. Laos and Vietnam and then "The Outposts" - Africa, the Caribbean and Britain followed by Japan with very interesting dishes.

But I decided to start with Pakistan, combining two interesting dishes ...

Lamb & Tomato Curry which was much milder and more mellow than I expected served over Chickpea & Rice Pilau that was very aromatic.

Now where will I head next? Good thing my passport is up to date. Any suggestions?

300 Big & Bold Barbecue & Grilling Recipes

If you follow my blogs, you know I love grilling. I find it a very healthful way to cook.

If you follow my blogs, you also know I've been whining a lot about not having a BBQ here in Halifax...condo living with no balcony, no terrace, no patio, no porch...in a word, no barbecue.

So, you must be thinking...why would she continue to get barbecue books?

Masochistic...possibly. But I do have a couple of great indoor tools...my Cuisinart GR-4 Griddler and my 10-Inch Cast-Iron Square Grill Pan .

And I do want to share great grilling recipes with my equally BBQ-challenged blogging friends.

There are tons of recipes in this book that are so adaptable to indoor cooking, you won't even think twice before trying them. And remember, you can also use your broiler to grill tasty meats, vegetables, breads....whatever, even if you don't have a grill pan. Just place a cake rack over a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil (for easy clean up), place the top oven rack closer to the broiler element at the top of the oven and you're ready to go.

I have lots or recipes earmarked - there are 36 rubs and sauce recipes alone..wasabi vinaigrette, soy-ginger marinade, Provencal flavoring paste (I think that's up very soon to be used on the Grilled Salmon Nicoise Salad), glazes, butters and how about a Bloody Mary Salsa...not your cup of tea (pardon the pun), then how about a golden papaya or pineapple mandarin salsa instead?

Being a rib fanatic, I'll be experimenting with Florentine style ribs with lots of garlic and fresh rosemary for a dry rib, and a honey-basted Asian style for sticky, finger licking options.

You vegetarians out there are lucky too. The Argentinean Grilled Vegetable Platter with Chimichurri sounds awesome, as does the Vegetable Kebabs with Za'atar.

And now that I've got your undivided attention....

Grilled Shrimp in Garlic Wine Marinade with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Just to show how versatile this book is... The recipe calls for huge shrimp and would be perfect as appetizers, "cocktail party" food, grilled individually or on pre-soaked skewers with the sauce on the side for dipping, or as a main course served with a zesty salad...

I had an entire box of fusilli cooked and ready for the effects of Hurricane Bill...which never really impacted us, fortunately (pasta is a perfect base for salads when there's no power)...but I digress. Instead of discarding the marinade, I boiled it for a few minutes and then tossed the hot pasta with it, topped it with shrimp and a dollop of the sauce, which was so good, I added more and frankly, could just eat the sauce with a spoon!

Bottom line...300 Big & Bold Barbecue & Grilling Recipes is a fantastic book - with or without a BBQ.

Everyday Indian

I love East Indian food. I love quick and easy meal preparation. So how could I pass up this delightful find - Everyday Indian by Bal Arneson which is perfectly fabulous. Her philosophy, by the way...is that no one should spend more than 25 minutes in the kitchen to make a healthy Indian meal. I'm all for that! The book is filled with "100 fast, fresh and healthy recipes"...says so on the cover. But that's not the only awesome thing about the book.

The recipes are so interesting and unique and Bal puts a spin on dishes that only she could do. She was born and raised in Punjab, India and learned the very traditional ways to cook from her mother and grandmother. Then she moved to Canada and applied what she learned...cooking simply, healthfully and delicously (not a word, but it should be)...and added a very Canadian spin to many of her dishes.

For example - although I love Indian food and eat it whenever I get the chance - and make it occasionally too, I never tasted the likes of these....

Curried Spaghetti Sauce

Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa

Salmon Paneer Cakes

I was out of canned salmon so I substituted crab instead - fabulous and I might even try it with chopped cooked shrimps.

Since I'm a huge fan of Butter Chicken, I'm definitely going to try her No-Butter Chicken, which is a much healthier version made with yoghurt and a little brown sugar instead of all that clarified butter/ghee.

And the Curried Scallop Salad - scallops dipped in Garam Masala before searing...I'm drooling.

Of course I'll be making soups like no cream cauliflower, lentil & split pea, plus many of the traditional vegetable dishes like cauliflower with yams, potato curry, green peas with paneer and potatoes...

If you're like me...less time in the kitchen is a great idea... you love Indian food... you love to experiment...then this is the book for you.