July 16, 2012
Some regional cuisines lend themselves more readily to the slow cooker, and Mediterranean food, with its emphasis on beans, grains, soups, and stews, is one of them. In this nicely photographed volume, slow cooker expert and culinary instructor Phillips explores traditional recipes that call for tagines, clay pots, and copper stockpots, and modernizes them with her favorite electric appliance. For the neophyte, Phillips breaks down the basic flavor profiles and ingredients found in the Mediterranean, from cured meats to wine vinegars. The recipes, spread between Moorish patterned pages, cover Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, North Africa, and the Middle East, reflecting the typically healthful, colorful, amply spiced foods from these countries. Amid the most traditional paella Valenciana and ratatouille, Phillips adds some of her own interesting yet reverent inventions, such as a hot slow cooker gazpacho and the fusiony falafel in saffron tomato sauce. Also included are recipes for accompaniments such as simple pita bread and couscous, as well as some surprising ways to take the crockpot to new heights (oranges poached in port and honey). In all, this is a solid addition to the slow cooker enthusiast’s library.