The Butcher's Pasta Sauce ~ From the Slow Cooker

There is no doubt that I love those quick pasta sauces that can be put together at a moments notice, especially in the warmer months when fresh produce is abundant.
However, when the temperatures drop I usually long for the deep flavors of a slow cooked sauce, the kind of sauce that can simmer on the stovetop for a couple of hours while the flavor develops. The kind mom and grandma used to make.
That's fine if you have a leisurely day to check on the sauce while it's cooking and give it a stir every so often,  adding more liquid if necessary.  
Sometimes we don't have that luxury of time --  that's what makes this recipe stand out; long simmered flavor without having to babysit it.



Slow Cookers ~ you may love them or not,  there is no doubt they are a convenience.  
In years past I could count on one hand the recipes I really loved  made in the slow cooker.   Too many times the food cooked in these units  tasted and looked like bad cafeteria food ~ left on the steam table for far too long  mushy, gray and not much in the way of flavor.

My slow cooker aversion took a turn around with the  introduction of the more modern slow cooker cookbooks, like this one from Michele Scicolone. 

Click image to learn more

"The Italian Slow Cooker"
Michele is a genius when it comes to what type of recipes really benefit from slow cooking. Instead of just dumping ingredients into the cooking vessel, sometimes a little prep takes place stovetop to get the recipes started. This one extra step makes all the difference in the world when it comes to a superior finished dish. So worth it!

I've had the book for a while ~I've shared  another favorite from book  a while back; "Spicy Tuscan-Style Sausage Ragu". Very, very good.)
The book covers everything from soups, sauces, risotto, polenta, grains, seafood, eggs, poultry, meats, veggies and beans, plus desserts. She offers special techniques that assure perfect results even with the most delicate ingredients like eggs, fish, and tender desserts.
The one I'm sharing today is The Butcher's Sauce, a recipe from Puglia. The unique thing about this recipe, and the reason for it's name ~ as Michele explains is that it is made of any kind of meat you happen to have, either fresh or in your freezer. (A good way to use up raw scraps of this and that such as a bit of raw ground beef, a pork chop, a sausage or a chicken breast.) Just chop the meat up in your food processor and proceed with the recipe. I have the basic recipe over on my recipe blog.

photo: Doris Italian Market
  Usually served with orecchiette, cavatelli or any chunky pasta.  I used perciatelli (pronounced: "pear-chuh-TELL-lee" as it is known in Naples.)  Almost everywhere else, the cut is refered to as bucatini. About twice as thick as spaghetti and hollow as you can see from the photo.

This one is a keeper, friends! And like most tomato based cooked sauces, it freezes very successfully ~ you can double batch easily if you have a very large slow cooker.





If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, you can find it over on my recipe blog HERE.
Please come see what's cooking for Foodie Friday!
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Mari xo

Minestrone ~ A Lighter Version

I saw this recipe on my friend Monique's beautiful blog La Table de Nana recently ~ it looked so good and full of fresh veggies that it made me want to make it right away.  
But we've had the hottest summer on modern record here, so I had to put it off for a few days.  Now that the overnight temperatures have begun to 'fall' (pun intended), the time was right.
I was so surprised when I opened the link to the recipe, because this is nearly identical to the vegetable soup I make ~ except I never use an exact recipe. So I was really happy to see the it with actual measurements to share with people who don't use my cooking method.




As Monique did,  I substituted chicken broth/stock for the vegetable stock ~ so if you want a vegetarian version, use the veggie stock.
This one always pleases, and it's got lots of gorgeous color so it's healthful and pleasing to the eye as well.
Since it's zucchini harvest time, I also swapped out the spinach (or other greens) for this version. If you want more protein, add some leftover cooked chicken, Italian Sausage, beef (ground or cubed) during the last few minutes to heat through, before serving.




These "Pesto Crisps"?
Meh, they were just okay.  The recipe sounded good as I ran my virtual tongue over it... all the ingredients you would find in pesto; fresh basil,  Parmesano Reggiano, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil ~  plus a little flour and aged white cheddar.  
Thumbs down at my house. Instead of eating them along side as you would crackers,  I ended up breaking them up and floating them in the bowls of soup ~ (not pictured...)
If you want something similar, I would recommend this version ~ similar, but a bit different and infinitely better. Tried, true recipe ~ everybody gobbles them up!

But the soup gets 5 stars!


Thank you for finding the recipe and sharing it Monique! And thanks to everyone for stopping by today.
Your comments make my day.  :-)

Bon Appétit!