The Mexican Slow Cooker: Recipes for Mole, Enchiladas, Carnitas, Chile Verde Pork, and More Favorites Read Online Free Page A

beans, red bell pepper, yams, green cabbage, green beans, white mushrooms, peas, or kale
    1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice, or 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
    2 dried bay leaves
    1 tablespoon kosher salt
    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    8 cups water, or more as needed
    TO SERVE
    2 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    2 corn tortillas
    2 ounces crumbled cotija cheese (optional)
    Combine all the soup ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours, checking occasionally and adding more water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
    While the soup cooks, make the garnishes. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chiles and toast on both sides, turning occasionally and pressing down with a spatula, until dry and quite dark, but not burned. Remove from the pan. When the chiles are cool enough to handle, crumble into small pieces.
    In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Cut the tortillas into ½-inch squares and fry until crisp. Drain on a paper towel.
    Serve the soup very hot, garnished with some of the fried tortilla squares, a sprinkle of crumbled chiles, and some cotija cheese, if desired.

Sopa de Albondigas Verdes
    HERBED MEATBALLS IN BEEF SOUP Serves 4 to 6
    Sopa de albondigas is simple to make, especially if you have a batch of beef broth simmering away in your slow cooker. Here, the meatballs are seasoned with cilantro, oregano, and a bit of spicy green serrano chile. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the soup at the table to wake up all the flavors.
    ¾ pound ground pork
    ¾ pound ground beef
    2 large eggs, beaten
    ¼ cup fresh white bread crumbs
    2 tablespoons minced garlic
    1 teaspoon whole dried Mexican oregano
    1 tablespoon kosher salt
    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1 large bunch fresh cilantro, very finely chopped
    1 cup diced white onion
    2 large serrano chiles, stemmed
    6 cups Caldo de Res
    TO SERVE
    Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
    1 Roma tomato, seeded and finely diced
    Arroz al Vapor
    Lime wedges
    Crumbled chicharrón (optional)
    Diced Hass avocado (optional)
    Combine the pork, beef, and eggs in a bowl using your hands. In a food processor, combine the bread crumbs, garlic, oregano, 2 teaspoons of the salt, the pepper, and cilantro and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to the bowl with the meat mixture. Add the onion and serranos to the food processor and pulse until finely minced. Add to the meat mixture and combine thoroughly. With damp hands, divide the meat mixture into 12 or 24 equal portions. Roll into balls and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
    Place the meatballs in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add the broth and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook on low until the meatballs are firm and cooked through, about 4 hours.
    Serve hot in large bowls, garnished with the parsley and diced tomatoes. Pass the cooked rice on the side and serve with small bowls of lime, chicharrón , and diced avocado, on the table.
    VARIATIONS
    • To cut the calories and fat content, reduce the meats to ½ cup each and add ½ cup cooked rice to the albondigas mixture.
    • Substitute an equal amount of ground turkey for the ground beef, the ground pork, or both.

Mole de Olla con Bolitas
    BEEF SOUP WITH CHILE, VEGETABLES, AND DUMPLINGS Serves 4 to 6
    This mole is not a thick sauce but a classic Mexican soup, aromatic with dried chiles and epazote and loaded with chunks of meat and vegetables. A proper mole de olla always includes pieces of fresh corn and ejotes (green beans). This version also includes delicious little masa dumplings called bolitas .
    4 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
    1 cup hot water
    6 tomatillos, husked and washed
    ½ white onion, diced
    2 cloves garlic
    2 teaspoons vegetable oil
    1½ pounds lean stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
    7 cups water
    2 kosher teaspoons salt
    2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
    4 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
    1 zucchini, cut