If you have a slow cooker and it has been lounging in your store, without being used, well, now is the time to get it out. If you have been considering getting one, I hope this post gives you the push that you need. You can either get an electric slow cooker, or get a crock pot to be used on the stove. The amazing thing about slow cookers is that they do all the work for you, while you just sit back and wait for the magic to happen. Slow cooking is also great because it intensifies the flavour of whatever you cook in it. Meats are especially great slow cooked. They come of tender, pulling apart from the bone and the taste is intense. It soaks in the spices and herbs, of whatever you slow cook with and the result is this gorgeous plate of food, you won’t believe you did not “actually cook” it.
If you are worrying about the cost, slow cookers are actually very energy-efficient. A 7 hour cook for example uses as much electricity if not less than that of a light bulb. The next worry for you would probably be leaving something plugged in while you are out of the house. If you are not comfortable with this, then use your slow cooker overnight while you are at home. I have not yet come across one fire incident that started because of a slow cooker, but at the end of the day, you have to decide if you want to use it. I got mine as a Christmas gift from my cousin, with the red colour and all, and I have used it twice now. Once for my Jerk Chicken (recipe HERE), which was so amazing, it disappeared within minutes for the people I cooked it for. On Facebook, someone called Hariat asked if I could try making Peppersoup with it, as she had heard claims that it can be done. There are also claims that you can make our regular red stew using a slow cooker. This would be my next challenge. As for this goat meat Peppersoup, I can gladly tell you that it works, the peppersoup was delicious, but there was one teeeny tiny problem I had with it. The goat meat was too soft, and that was just because I let it cook overnight. With a shorter cooking time, this will be perfect, so don’t knock it just yet. Here’s how.
You will need
Goat meat – preferably frozen
Chopped onion
dry or fresh pepper
Peppersoup spice powder
Cameroon pepper – optional
2 Ehuru seeds (calabash nutmeg) – optional
Enough Water
Salt
Seasoning cubes
Whole ata rodo (scotch bonnet/habanero pepper) – optional
Efinrin – scent leaf, nchawu, ntong, basil
How To
1. Add all the ingredients into the slow cooker. In the pictures below, you can see goat meat, dry pepper, salt, chopped onions, ehuru seeds, whole pepper (ata rodo), Cameroon pepper.
2. Add enough water to cover the meats and then some. This is peppersoup after all. Add seasoning cubes, and taste for salt. be sure you are satisfied, because once you switch it on, it is not advisable to go back in to re-season.
3. Switch on the device, and turn the dial to Low. Set the timer for roughly 3 – 4 hours and you would have gorgeous, well cooked, intensely flavoured goat meat peppersoup. Finish off by adding the chopped Efinrin or Basil.
