Slow cooker Lentil Bolognese

Today, there's lentil bolognese in my Slow cooker 󾌧
Add:
300-350g lentils
2 carrots, diced
1 red onion, diced
1/2 can sweetcorn
3 cups boiling water
Spices: salt, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper (all to taste)
Cook on high for 1-1.5hrs

Layer on top: (all diced)
2 bell peppers (I used red and yellow)
1 small zucchini
3 cups of mushroom
Fresh basil to taste
1 jar of pasta sauce  (I used "arrabiata") + 1 Tbs powdered tomato soup (you can substitute with tomato paste and adjust the spices)
Cook for 1 more hour on high, then stirr everything together and cook on low for 3-4 hrs
You may want to take the lid off for the last half hour or so.
Serve with pasta or rice or use it for a lasagna :)

Side note: I'm sure you could layer everything in your slow cooker and turn it on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Just make sure to seperate the lentils from the tomato sauce for a while. It'll also make a difference in texture. My vegetables turned out cooked but still had a nice bite to them. If you prefer softer vegetables, cook them for longer.

Pressure Cooker Mediterranean Pasta Stew

I made a Mediterranean pasta stew in my electric pressure cooker today. I planned to make one pot pasta but it turned out rather soupy. Still delicious!

Recipe:

Step 1:
1 small zucchini
5-6 medium mushrooms
2 bell peppers
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
--> diced and water sautéed in the pressure cooker (use the "sauté function")

Step 2: 4-5 medium tomatoes diced, layer on top, don't stir to prevent burning

Step 3: layer approx 300g of pasta on top, add spices (I used salt, pepper, chili and paprika)

Step 4: add water to just cover the pasta. Do NOT stir

(I switched step 3 & 4 which I do NOT recommend! The tomatoes burst all over the place in the pot and it took a while to clean the lid afterwards)

Step 5: cook for half the recommended cooking time the pasta asks for minus 1 minute with low pressure, do a quick release
(Be careful, there's quite a lot of water escaping as well!)
Cancel the keep warm mode before the QR!

Step 6: stir in approx. 100g of cut up arugula and let sit until wilted (leave the lid open)

If it's too runny or not tomatoey enough you can simmer it down (don't recommend this as the pasta can get mushy), add tomato paste or powered tomato soup  (I added the powdered tomato soup) and it turned out delicious!

Will definitely make this again! :)

Slow Cooker Plum Jam / Plum Puree

This is hardly worth its own blog post but making plum jam / puree became the easiest thing in the world once I discovered I could make it in my slow cooker instead of making it in a pot on the stove top! And since it's my favourite jam I usually cook up a big batch when plums are in season and enjoy it all year long! :)

My Slow Cooker has a 3.5 litre capacity so I can stuff in 3 kilos of halved, de-stoned plums cut sides down. It's filled up to the rim and might even touch the lid but that's ok.

Once you've filled your slow cooker with plums, put the lid on and let it cook on high for 3 hours OR on low for 6-7 hours. (I use high when I start cooking in the morning and low when I have it cook over night)
Once that's done take the lid off, stir and keep it cooking on low for up to 24hours or on high for approx. 12-16hours depending on the desired consistency.

DO NOT put the lid back on!

Stir every 2-4 hours.

Add spices. Personally I only add cinnamon  (1 teaspoon or so), but you can come up with your own spice mix. Nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom and cloves are some I'd think would be good. Any spice that tastes like Christmas cookies should work just fine.

Make sure the jars are clean and the jam is still hot when filling the jars. Close them right away and let cool completely.
Mine usually keep all year (actually only the last surviving jar) but since the jam doesn't contain any added sugar it doesn't keep well for too long once it's opened.

If you don't have a slow cooker you can also make this recipe on the stove top and in your oven:
Cook the plums on the stove top until they are soft and release liquid. Add spices now if you want to. Then transfer everything to the largest baking pan you have and cook it in the oven for 8-12hours, stirring every 2-3 hours. Make sure to leave the oven a few cm open by sticking in a wooden spoon.  Otherwise the released steam can't escape.

Your plum jam is ready when it's got a rich dark colour and rich taste as well as the desired consistency. You're looking for a reduction by at least 50% if not 2/3. My 3kg of plums make approximately 1200-1400ml of jam.