By Christine Salins.
Pulled pork dishes, warming curries, meat that falls off the bone, lamb shanks and even, surprisingly, cakes and puddings, are among the mouth-watering recipes in Taste Top 100: The Ultimate Slow Cooker, published by HarperCollins, RRP$34.99.
Produced by the team at Taste.com.au, the book is a collection of the top recipes rated and reviewed on the site by millions of Aussie cooks. All recipes are triple-tested and feature ingredients that can be readily obtained at local supermarkets.
“Whenever we start talking about slow cooker recipes at Taste HQ, you can almost hear everyone drooling,” says editor-in-chief Brodee Myers-Cooke.
“We’re all time-poor in this busy world, and the marvellous slow cooker offers the benefit of set-and-forget cooking – just pile everything into the pot in the morning and come home hungry after a busy day to a delicious, aromatic and heartwarming meal.”
“Slow cooking is also an easy way of bringing out the rich flavours and tender textures of your favourite meals,” she says. “And it’s not just the flavour we love. We’re on board for the minimal prep required too.”
The prep time is included for every recipe in The Ultimate Slow Cooker, along with nutritional information and key guides as to whether the dish is freezable, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free etc.
There are a number of really appealing recipes for ribs, like the one featured here, luscious-looking Pomegranate Lamb Shanks, a super healthy Beef and Barley Soup, a rich and hearty Duck Ragu with Pappardelle, and a flavour-packed Nonya Chicken Curry.
Winter-warming desserts such as Slow-baked Apples and a Giant Golden Syrup Dumpling hit the spot on these chilly days, and it would never have occurred to me to bake a cake in the slow cooker until I saw the recipe for Hummingbird Cake in this book.
Pork Ribs with Smoked Spices
Serves 4
Prep 10 mins, cook 8 hours 5 mins
1 tbs smoked paprika
1 tbs ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
125 ml (½ cup) barbecue sauce, plus extra to serve
80 ml (1/3 cup) tomato sauce
2 tbs white wine vinegar
80 ml (1/3 cup) golden syrup
2kg American-style pork ribs
Combine paprika, cumin, oregano and garlic powder in a bowl. Add sauces, vinegar and golden syrup. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut ribs into portions large enough to fit in slow cooker bowl. Layer ribs and sauce mixture in slow cooker bowl, finishing with the sauce mixture. Cover with lid. Cook on Low for 8 hours.
Preheat grill on high. Place ribs on a large foil-lined baking tray. Spoon over some of the sauce from the slow cooker. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes or until ribs start to char and caramelise. Serve ribs with extra barbecue sauce.
Note: Add 1 to 2 tbs of sriracha chilli sauce if you want extra heat with your ribs.
From: Taste Top 100: The Ultimate Slow Cooker by Taste.com.au (HarperCollins 2020) is available now in all good bookstores and online.
