Slowcook

Slow-cooker meals are a blessing during the working week, especially in the colder months. Let this lamb, spinach and chickpea pilaf greet you at the end of a busy day.

David's favourite meat is lamb and his favourite cut of lamb is the shank. This slow-cooked stew is best cooked the day before and reheated gently. He's a smart man, that Dave.

Ask the butcher to cut the ribs for you so they will fit into your slow cooker. Note

Almonds, prunes and shallots add depth to the flavour of this succulent chicken cooked in a tagine.

Sweet chunks of apple, whole spring onions and sage add complex flavour to this slow-cooked pork neck pot roast.

Gremolata is a condiment made with a garlic, herb and lemon zest base. It adds real zing to a meat dish like osso buco and cuts through the richness. Gremolata can be made a day or two ahead and kept in the fridge.

Lamb shanks that will fall off the bone and melt in your mouth with a flavour-packed bean ragu.

Ask the butcher for lamb shoulder as what is sold as diced lamb is sometimes from the leg and will not be as tender. Note

Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice mixture meaning `top of the shelf’. The mixture varies from one merchant to another, but is always subtly savoury with a touch of heat. Note

Warming and delicious slowcooked spicy lentil soup from Australian Women's Weekly.

This recipe uses a slow cooker which creates deliciously tender artichokes that pair wonderfully with the salty crunch of garlic anchovy crumbs.

Rich and tender neck chop and lentil stew with a bright and fluffy kumara and carrot mash.

Earthy, autumnal and deeply savoury, this mushroom ragu is excellent served on polenta, pasta, a side for beef or veal or even on thick slices of toasted sourdough.

Suitable to freeze at the end of step 4. Coconut water is the liquid from the centre of an immature coconut. It is readily available in tetra packs and cans from a variety of supermarkets. Ensure it’s labelled 100 per cent coconut water, and that it is not sweetened. Note

The meltingly soft flesh of this slow-roasted duck leg is rich and gamey and perfectly paired with the balsamic vegetables.

Succulent lamb shank pieces combine with chunks of vegetables to make this spice infused soup.

Warm, comforting and packed with gorgeous veggies, this soup acts as a perfect pick-me-up on a cold day.

Osso buco is another term that butchers use for veal shin, usually cut into 3cm to 5cm thick slices. Serve this osso buco with artichoke and lemon on a pile of creamy polenta for a comforting winter meal.

Star anise, cloves, cinnamon, sichuan pepper and fennel seeds are the spices that make these lamb shanks in five-spice with tamarind and ginger so fragrant.

The slightly astringent flavour of quince is the perfect foil to the sweet creaminess of cheesecake, especially when doused in fresh lemon juice. This quince and vanilla cheesecake has our favourite granita biscuit base. Yum.

Tender, succulent lamb shanks and creamy black-eye beans together make a hearty soup. Serve with crusty bread and a liberal sprinkling of freshly chopped coriander.

Slow-roasting the veal breast with a selection of vegetables adds great flavours to the juices left behind in the pan. Serve this tender, tasty meat on soft polenta with a good splash of the cooking juice.

This lamb, eggplant and prune tagine is rich, unctuous and utterly delicious. Best served on a pile of fluffy couscous with preserved lemon.

This dish is sophisticated enough to serve at a dinner party.

Meaning ‘salted pork with lentils’, in French, this hearty, rustic-style dish is a specialty of France’s Auvergne region. Toulouse is a small French sausage made of coarsely diced pork and flavoured with wine, garlic and various seasonings. It is available from speciality butchers. You can also use thick pork sausages. Taste before adding any salt […]

Slowcooked Moroccan-style vegetables that will melt in your mouth.

This is Vietnam’s famous beef noodle soup. Note

These slow-roasted beef shanks will melt in your mouth.

A rich, warming and filling slowcooked Italian beef casserole from Australian Women's Weekly.

Recipe is suitable to freeze without the parsley. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan and sprinkle with parsley to serve. Note

A rich and warming casserole that is perfect for cold winter nights.

Using a slowcooker takes this delicious Italian meatball and pasta dish to the next level.

Italian-style slow-cooked osso bucco that will melt in your mouth.

‘Agrodolce’ is the Italian word used to describe the flavours in this dish and means ‘sour sweet’. Note

Sweet potato fries loaded with delicious pulled beef short ribs, candied jalapenos, chimichurri and mozzarella.

Place sultanas in large colander; wash under running water until water runs clear and sultanas are plump; drain well (step 3). Remove rind from oranges with a zester (glacé orange rind). Note

Suitable to freeze at the end of step 2. If the potatoes are very small, halve them rather than cutting them into quarters. Note

Some butchers sell a pork and veal mince mixture, which is what we call for here. If it is not available as a mixture, buy half the amount in pork mince (500g) and half the amount (500g) as veal mince. Note

Suitable to freeze at the end of step 4. This dish is traditionally served at Christmas time. Note

Verjuice is available in delicatessens and supermarkets; it’s usually found in the vinegar aisle. It’s made from unripe grapes and has a slightly acidic taste. Ask the butcher to cut the rabbit into pieces. Note

A simple slow-cooked version of the classic beef and vegetable casserole.

An exquisite and morish Mediterranean-style mushroom and polenta dish with roasted tomatoes.

From the humble baked bean to the chickpea, legumes contain healthy components linked with protection against diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart problems.

You can use ½ cup dry sherry with ½ cup water instead of the chinese cooking wine. This dish is suitable to freeze at the end of step 1. Note

You can use gravy beef for this recipe, if you prefer. Note

Confit, from the French verb ‘confire’ meaning to preserve, means both a food item that has been slow-cooked in fat to cover, and also the cooking technique. Confit foods are exquisitely soft and delicately flavoured, so the technique is sometimes used, as in this recipe, simply to achieve this luxurious effect. Note

Caldeirada is a Portuguese fish stew that varies from region to region, but usually contains a variety of fish along with potato, onion and tomato or capsicum.

A subtle and delicately flavoured rabbit stew with potato and sage that will melt in your mouth.

Suitable to freeze at the end of step 2. Note

Not suitable to freeze. Note

Tender slow-cooked lamb shoulder with a sweet and delicious quince and honey rub.

Sago and tapioca, while similar, are not the same and can’t be substituted for each other. Sago may be found labelled as `seed tapioca’ on some packets. It is available from most health-food stores and supermarkets. Note

A traditional Sunday dinner dish in the French countryside that literally means, 'chicken in a pot'.

This deliciously tender slowcooked spiced chicken in coconut sauce from Australian Women's Weekly.

Not suitable to freeze. If you have one, try using a mandoline to cut the potatoes into paper-thin slices, otherwise, use a very sharp knife. We used a merlot-style wine in this recipe. Note

Pulled beef, or pork, comes from pulling extremely tender pieces of meat apart­ rather than cutting it into slices usually with two forks, which separates the meat into strands. Low, slow cooking is required to produce meat tender enough to pull apart into pieces. Note

Swiss brown mushrooms, also known as roman or cremini, are light-to darkbrown in colour with a full bodied flavour. Store on a tray in a single layer, covered with damp, absorbent paper and keep where cool air can circulate around them. Note

This deliciously tender piece of lamb is cooked using traditional Spanish flavours, combining salty chorizo and fragrant garlic and thyme to create a memorable dish for a roast dinner or Christmas lunch.

A rich, fragrant and warming slow-cooked lamb and eggplant curry that will melt in your mouth.

Suitable to freeze at the end of step 3. Note

An exquisite, slowcooked Greek-style dish with dill and lemon lamb shoulder.

Slow cooker: suitable to the end of step 2. Pressure cooker: suitable to the end of step 2. Not suitable to freeze. Note

Coq au vin is a traditional French dish of chicken braised in red wine, mushrooms, garlic and shallots.

Ask the butcher to cut the rib racks into pieces that will fit your slow cooker. Note

Italian sausages are coarse pork sausages generally sold in plump links. They are usually flavoured with garlic and fennel seed or anise seed and come in two styles, hot (flavoured with thai red chilli) and sweet (without the added heat). They are available from speciality butchers and delicatessens. Note

We used a chardonnay-style wine in this recipe. This recipe is not suitable to freeze. Note

Persian lamb and rhubarb stew

This pudding recipe is suitable to freeze. Note

An uncomplicated Asian-style sweet and sour chicken soup packed to the brim with delicious flavours.