Celebrity cook Allyson Gofton gives us her own special take on slow-cooked food, sharing over 180 of her favourite recipes for the slow cooker or crockpot.

With chapters on soups, main meals (beef, lamb, pork, chicken and vegetarian) and desserts, Slow is packed with meals your family will enjoy all year-round.

Whether you are looking for classic comfort foods or new taste sensations, this is the perfect cookbook for easy meals that taste like you spent hours at the stove.

SAMPLE RECIPE
Beef And Guinness Casserole (pictured)
1 kilogram lean beef for casseroling
2–3 onions, peeled and diced
4 rashers rindless bacon, diced
12–18 prunes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
pared rind one large orange
about 4 sprigs fresh thyme or
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup flour
2 cups Guinness
2 cups beef stock

serves 6–8
preparation time without browning 15 minutes
preparation time with browning 25 minutes
cooking time low 7–8 hours, high 4–5 hours

Including the pared rind of one orange in this classic dish adds a hint of sweetness under the rich. warm flavours of the Guinness.

Turn the slow cooker on to low to pre-warm while gathering and preparing the ingredients.

Cut the beef into 2–3-cm pieces.

If wishing to brown the ingredients:
Brown the beef, onions and bacon well in a dash of oil in a hot fryin9-pan. This will be best done in several batches to avoid the in9redients stewin9 rather than brownin9.

Into the pre-warmed slow cooker put the beef, onions, bacon, prunes, garlic, orange rind and thyme.

Mix together the flour, Guinness and stock to form a smooth mix and pour over the beef. Stir to mix well and cover with the lid.

Cook on low for 7–8 hours or on high for 4–5 hours. Season well with salt and pepper. Serve with seasonal vegetables.

Allyson's tips
Pare the orange rind thinly to avoid any white bitter pith being added. If there is some attached to the pieces of peel, turn them over and with a small sharp knife, carefully cut the pith off.
Guinness is a distinctive Irish beer, prepared from roasted barley, hops, yeast and water. While it's referred to as black, it is actually a dark rusty red colour. If you do not have Guinness, use another dark-style beer.

About the Author
Allyson Gofton has been cooking for New Zealanders for over 20 years. She is known for her recipes and columns in magazines, television appearances, radio slots and many personal appearances in the name of charity. She has also written more than 20 cookbooks, including her best-selling series of books Bake, Cook and Slow, and the popular Country Calendar Cookbook with Allyson Gofton. Allyson currently resides in a small town in the south of France, where she, her two young children and her husband are enjoying a year of French living.