Slow cooker glory: Three recipes that are worth the wait

People’s views on slow cookers seem to fall into two camps, Katrina Meynink writes in her new cookbook Slow Victories: those who dismiss them altogether as madness or cheating, and those so enamoured by them that it’s almost a religion. Ingredients 800g gnocchi 200g ball mozzarella, roughly torn Bloody Mary mix 1 × 500g jar passata 100ml chicken stock 100ml celery juice 2tbsp dill fronds, very finely chopped 5cm piece horseradish, grated 60ml pickle juice from a jar of pickles 2tbsp Worcestershire sauce 125ml vodka 2 tbsp brown sugar ½ tsp celery salt Juice of ½ lemon To serve Chopped flat-leaf parsley Mozzarella, roughly torn Spicy cucumber pickles Method Combine all the Bloody Mary mix ingredients in the bowl of your slow cooker. open image in gallery Butter chickpeas Serves 4-6 If you are feeling virtuous, feel free to substitute coconut milk for the coconut cream – it will just have a thinner consistency. Ingredients ½ tbsp coconut oil 1 large red onion, finely chopped 1 heaped tbsp grated ginger 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 cinnamon stick 2 tsp each of sweet smoked paprika and ground cumin 1 tsp each of fennel seeds, ground fenugreek and ground coriander 1 tbsp garam masala 225g dried chickpeas 1 × 400g tin crushed tomatoes 1 × 400ml tin coconut cream 125ml vegetable stock 100g butter 1 tsp brown sugar To serve Saffron rice Coriander leaves, chopped Naan or poppadoms Yoghurt Pickles Lime cheeks Curry leaves Recommended How to make slow cooker chicken tortellini soup Method Set the slow cooker to the sauté function and add the coconut oil. Ingredients 80ml rapeseed oil 3 shallots, grated 6cm piece ginger, grated 3 cloves, toasted and roughly crushed 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed 2 tsp chipotle powder 1 tsp black peppercorns, toasted and roughly crushed 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and roughly crushed 2 tbsp tamarind puree 3 tbsp maple syrup 800g-1kg side of fresh salmon, skin on, bones removed 375ml vegetable stock To serve Steamed coconut rice Stir-fried Asian greens Method Set the slow cooker to the sauté function.