Slow Cooker Osso Bucco

Ok I admit I'm on a bit of a slow cooker kick this weekend, but with the meats I have chosen from the local farmer from the rooster recipe I posted earlier to this osso bucco cut of meat; I wanted to be able to let the meat work it's way to completion over a long period of time.   The farmer I buy meat from had some great items they usually don't have lie that rooster and now this cut of meat so I had to go for it.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of Osso Bucco cut of meat 
• Greek Seasoning
• 3 large carrots rough chopped
• 4 pieces of celery rough chopped
• 2 tablespoons garlic paste
• 1 yellow onion rough chopped
• 2 cups water

Instructions:

• Toss in the veggies and the water into the slow cooker and form a nice bed for the meat to rest on
• Sprinkle the meat well with the Greek seasoning and place either on top of the bed of veggies or if your slow cooker came with a rack that keeps the meat out of the liquid use that.
• Cook on low for 6 hours in the slow cooker
• Remove the rack and place the meat directly in the liquid making sure it is as covered as possible.
• Cook for an hour on high in the slow cooker
• Turn over the meat and cook for another hour on high.
• Let the meat sit on a plate for 5-10 minutes while you work on the Gravy below
• Reserve the veggies and the sauce that formed at the bottom of the slow cooker

Instructions for a quick Gravy:

• Take the reserved veggies and sauce place in a pot and immersion blend the mixture and cook on high
• Take a good steel pan (for heat distribution) and 1-2 tablespoons butter and melt the butter and add 1 teaspoon of coconut flour and brown quickly.  
• Pour the blended sauce into this steel pan and cook on high until the gravy becomes nice and thick.  Drips slowly off of a spoon.
• Stand up the osso bucco on plate if you want this to look sort of like what they do in restaurants.
• Pour a good couple tablespoons of the gravy over the meat.  Be as generous as you feel like and reserve remaining gravy for a future meal

Suggested Sides:

• Ok there is no question here in my mind.  Mashed potatoes, and if you want to be fancy put the mashed potatoes on plate first, put meat on top and then pour the gravy all over.
• For the veggie:  Green beans, corn, peas and carrots, and brussel sprouts all would do well with this meal.

Slow Cooker Stewing Hen or Rooster

I personally prefer the flavor to the Stewing Hens or Roosters.  For many people this is a tougher cut of meat but if you know what you are doing with this bird the flavor is phenomenal.  Also these birds are much harder to find in an average grocery store and may require you to look at local farmers markets and get to know the farmers that sell eggs and chickens.   A stewing Hen is a hen that essentially has been around laying eggs for several years and has reached the end of the laying cycle.

Typically these birds are much leaner as well and their body will not be as rounded making a stew much better way to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 1 Rooster or Stewing Hen (I had a 4lb bird for this recipe)
• 1 cup water
• Sazon (http://drummingupabettermeal.blogspot.com/2015/08/sazon-blend-i-like.html)

Instructions:

• Place 1-2 cups water in slow cooker.
• Remove the chickens legs at the body joint to get a leg+thigh combo, and then remove the wings again at the body joint.
• Sprinkle well with Sazon and place these pieces outer skin down in the slow cooker.
• If you were lucky enough to get the neck with your bird sprinkle well with sazon and add to bottom of slow cooker with the legs and wings.
• Take the remainder of the bird, sprinkle well with sazon inside and out and place on top of the above ingredients.
• Cook at low on the slow cooker for 6 hours.   By hour 4/5 depending on your slow cooker the meat will start falling off the bone, I prefer mine just a little more rendered. 
• Serve and Enjoy
• This should feed 5 portions of meat.  You will need sides.
• Save the liquid as a base to make a chicken broth soup later, This should be very concentrated chicken broth capable of serving a soup for 5.

Alternate ingredients:

• Typically I love to add Celery, Carrots, and Onions to the broth.  I did not have any in the house when I made this one so went without.

Recommended Sides:

• Rice if you are not grain free.  If you make rice try and get a couple tablespoons of the chicken broth per cup water for a flavored rice.
• Potatoes or sweet potatoes.  I typically prefer a quick stove fry, but mashed and oven roasted work as well
• Any Vegetable.  I typically stick with an oldie but goody like peas and carrots, but there is no limit here. 

Slow cooker Rabbit and potatoes

Originally posted by me in MyWholeFoodsLife Facebook group on April 5, 2015

 

Prep about 10 minutes

cook time 4-5 hours in a slow cooker.

Ingredients

• 1 approx 3 lb rabbit from local farmer...
• 4-5 med size potatoes

Seasoning:

Using a spice/coffee grinder to combine the following

• a good handful whole pieces of Rosemary
• coarse ground pink Himalayan sea salt
• small handful of telichery black pepper berries
• freeze dried shallot and onion pieces.
• Grind for 30 seconds
• add in a pinch or two of ground kaala jeera and sumac berries.
• Pulse grinder for a few seconds to mix.

(I get all my whole spices from either my garden, local farmers, or savory spice shop)

Instructions:

• Roughly chop potatoes 'stew' size.
• Place on bottom of slow cooker with 1 cup water.
• Sprinkle in seasoning.
• Rub seasoning on rabbit and place on top of potatoes in slow cooker.
• Cook on high for 1 hour, low for another 3-4. Rabbit should 'fall apart' when you try and take it out.
• Any leftover seasoning store in a jar for another meal