The luxury of slow-cooking

casserole Slow and easy dishes put the enjoyment back into cooking

Slow-cooked casseroles are far from the stuff of modish restaurants where speed is of the essence. They are perfect for home cooking, though – especially in the colder months when we crave warming, hearty food. Once everything is in the oven, all you have to do is wait while appetite-whetting aromas gradually fill the house. It’s luxury cooking. It’s comfort food at its most satisfying and the perfect cooking method for entertaining friends. You can sit round having a chat or even go out for a walk, safe in the knowledge that all you have to do is make sure the liquid in the casserole doesn’t run dry.

The slow-cooking method has been popular for centuries – once man discovered fire, the next stage was to put a cauldron on top of it and cook up the catch or kill of the day. And each cuisine has its favourite standbys – from cassoulets and coq au vin in France, to spicy, creamy curries of India and the Far East to couscous dishes and tagines in North Africa.

Slow-cooking lends itself to using cheaper cuts of meat as the long time spent in the oven allows the meat to tenderise and take on the flavours of the spices, herbs and seasonal vegetables cooked with it. Add some liquid, such as wine or stock, and you can conjure meals with all the magic of traditional flavour.

As with any cooking method, however, there are a few golden rules to ensure success every time.

  • Always brown meat or chicken for a few minutes before placing it in the oven, so that it seals and doesn’t become tough and rubbery. Make sure the oil is really hot and add the meat or chicken in batches otherwise it will not brown well. Browning the meat first will also give more depth of flavour to the cooked dish.
  • If you are slow-cooking chicken, try to use a corn-fed, organic or free-range bird. Not only does it taste much better, the meat also has a slightly coarser texture, which is ideal for slow cooking.
  • When you brown vegetables such as onions, garlic, peppers and carrots, add quicker-cooking vegetables last or they will become too mushy.

  • Make sure you use enough liquid so the casserole doesn’t dry out – top it up if necessary during cooking. A good robust red wine (like Barolo or Merlot), beer or cider are popular choices as they give a really delicious flavour and can be reduced easily. Their acidity also helps to tenderise the meat. Incidentally, the alcohol evaporates during cooking, so you don’t run the risk of intoxicating your guests.
  • Use a good, solid casserole, preferably cast-iron, so it can be transferred from the hob to the oven once the meat and vegetables have been browned and the rest of the ingredients are added. The best ones are heavy-based and have a really tight-fitting lid. This is crucial, as the steam circulates during cooking to seal in moisture. If your lid doesn’t fit well, fill the gap with a rolled-up tea towel.
  • If the sauce doesn’t become thick and syrupy during cooking, reduce it before serving. Remove the chicken or meat and other ingredients to a warm place, then put the casserole on the hob and remove the lid. Turn up the heat and allow the liquid to reduce until it has a syrupy consistency. This happens fairly quickly with wine, but if you use stock you may need to whisk in 1 tbsp flour or a knob of butter.

The following recipes use chicken and lamb, which lend themselves magnificently to slow cooking. If your meat tends to be dry, you’re in for a great surprise, as these dishes all taste deliciously succulent.

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Pot-Roasted Chicken with Star Anise and Sweet Potatoes

Pot-Roasted Chicken with Star Anise and Sweet Potatoes
This dish combines some typical Far Eastern ingredients – sesame oil, star anise, ginger, coriander and soy sauce – and will fill your kitchen with the most sensational smells as it cooks. Star anise is widely available at Asian grocers and some supermarkets. Bear in mind that light soy sauce is, in fact, saltier than the dark kind, so use the former if you want a more pungent taste.

Serves 4–6

1 x 1.5-2kg chicken, preferably free-range, corn-fed or organic
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions, peeled and thickly sliced
2.5cm-piece fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
5cm-piece cinnamon stick
6–8 heads of star anise
6 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp dry sherry
750g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.25cm-slices
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Wash the chicken, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil and vegetable oil together in a large casserole dish and, when very hot, add the chicken, browning it on all sides.
  2. Remove the chicken, lower the heat and cook the onions and ginger for 5–10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic, cinnamon stick and star anise and fry for a further 3–4 minutes.
  3. Return the chicken to the casserole dish, breast-side down, then add the soy sauce, sherry and 175ml water. Season well with pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover the dish with greaseproof paper, then replace the lid and cook in the oven for 35–40 minutes.
  4. Turn the chicken breast-side up and add the slices of sweet potato, tucking them right down into the juices. Drizzle the remaining sesame oil over the chicken. Replace the paper and the lid, return to the oven and cook for a further 40–50 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the leg.
  5. Remove the chicken and all but four slices of sweet potato to a serving dish and keep warm. Remove and discard all the whole spices. Transfer the casserole to the hob, remove the lid and turn up the heat. Cook for a few minutes, mashing the sweet potato slices into the liquid to help thicken the sauce. Add the coriander, season with salt (don’t use too much, as the soy sauce is fairly salty), then pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve with rice or noodles.

Recipe by Joanna Lamiri

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June King's Chicken Hotpot
Malabar's Lamb Curry

June King’s Chicken Hotpot
This all-in-one-pot dish is ideal for family meals and you can double up on the potato quantity if you’re feeding hungry boys. It’s a simple recipe but the dry vermouth and poultry seasoning jazz up the flavour into something a bit special. You can use any combination of chicken portions – the packs of thighs and drumsticks, or chicken quarters, sold in supermarkets are great.

Serves 6

2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 portions skinned chicken pieces (about 1kg in total)
6 potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 carton (284ml) fresh concentrated chicken stock, undiluted
120ml dry white vermouth
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 rashers streaky bacon
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 tsp poultry seasoning
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced, to garnish
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish
¼ tsp salt
black pepper

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Cook the chicken pieces for 10 minutes until evenly browned. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole dish.
  2. Add the potato slices to the frying pan and sauté for about 5 minutes on each side until evenly browned. Transfer to the casserole dish. Add the chicken stock and vermouth.
  3. Fry the garlic, bacon and onion in the pan for a few minutes, adding more oil if necessary, and scatter on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle with the Herbes de Provence, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
  4. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken juices run clear when pierced with a sharp knife. If it looks like drying out during cooking, top up with a little water. Garnish with the spring onions and parsley before serving.

Next page: Malabar's Lamb Curry

Malabar’s Lamb Curry
This restaurant in London’s Notting Hill is celebrated by locals and tourists alike. The chefs are masters at using just enough spices to create a satisfying - but not overpowering - flavour.

Serves 2

Stage 1
450g diced leg of lamb
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
1-cm fresh ginger
3 tomatoes
4 bay leaves
5 whole cloves
8 peppercorns
½ cinnamon stick

Stage 2
4 green chillies (optional)
1 tomato
1 green pepper
7 cardamom pods
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 handful fresh coriander
salt to taste

  1. Wash the lamb and finely chop garlic, onion and ginger. Coarsely chop tomatoes and green pepper.
  2. Slice green chillies lengthways, removing seeds, then finely chop.
  3. Put all ingredients from Stage one into a large pot, cover and cook over a low flame. Leave the lid on during cooking to seal in juices. Check the pot every 10 minutes and if lamb looks dry, add some water.
  4. After 35 minutes, add ingredients from Stage two and cook for a further 30 minutes on low heat.
  5. Chop fresh coriander, sprinkle over the top and serve.