I was going today to buy a pot to make my vege soup, now slow cookers are on specialatthe warehouse - this one in paticular - http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/red/catalog/product/Akai-Stainless-Steel-Slow-Cooker-6.5L-Lifestyle!SKU=1553737 I thought I may as well get one as I will use it over winter . For vege soup, my mum always cooks the ham hock off first, then adds thestock powder and veges. Would I essentially be doing the same for the slow cooker, and how long do you think it would take ! Thanks for any helpful advise !
prawn_whiskas,
Apr 30, 6:30pm
I do this once a week in the colder months (started last week lol) I normally have it on by about 10.30am.
I blanch the hock off in a pot of hot water just remove any impurity's. (I also skin the hock)
Then the Hock and the soup mix (stock powder + dryed things like pearl barley, split peas etc) go into the slow cooker on high with boiling water.
At about 2pm I start preping my veg, I do it a little different, I sweat it all off in a large pot or fry pan, this takes the 'raw' edge off the veg and lends it self a nicer, rounder taste to the soup than it would by adding it raw.I pull the bone out and shred the meat off and back into the crock pot, then add the sweated off veg.
Its normally ready for eating around 4-5pm that night.
Note that I do it on high, its going to come down to what type of heat your slowcooker puts out, and you'll only know this after a few uses of your new pot.
vampiriousmist,
Apr 30, 6:40pm
Cheers Prawn :D Hopefully mine will be ready for dinnertime ! I have never triedsweating the veges beforehand, I may just try it !
prawn_whiskas,
Apr 30, 6:45pm
I caught the tip by watching River Cottage, hugh fearnley whittingstall does it that way and he is right, it really does change the body of the soup.
Does take more time, but then I am not one who just chucks everything raw into a CP/SC and walks away, I still like my food to taste good lol
cookessentials,
Apr 30, 7:06pm
Thats what i use to do my ham hock and vegetable soup, it works a treat.
calista,
Apr 30, 9:55pm
If I have the time I do it in two parts - cook the hock , bay leaves and dried soup mix in stock or water.Take out the hock, and let the liquid cool so I can skim off the fat.Take the meat off the bone and put it back in the liquid along with the veges.
vampiriousmist,
May 1, 12:05am
Well Iseem to have made too much :P my 6.5 litre slow cooker is full to the brim . Ah well, looks like Ill be living on soup for a month hahaha :)
kay141,
May 1, 12:41am
Freeze it. It's even better then.
taja4,
May 1, 1:27am
i cook a silverside in the slowcooker adding onions, little brown sugar and vinegar then after taking meat out for a meal add a kings traditional soup mix, 1 grated potato, parsnip and carrot. do not need to add salt. Yummy!
cookessentials,
May 1, 4:21am
Yes, I cook the ham hock first, remove, take off all the meat. Skim off the fat on the top and add the meat back in with Campbells stock, chopped onion, carrot, celery stalks ( and leaves) chopped, swede, kumara, potato, a can of chopped tomatoes. As it cooks, I add tomato paste and other seasonings. Once vege are tender, I add pasta ( either macaroni elbows or curly pasta) It makes a lovely thick soup, thick enough to stand a spoon in!
vampiriousmist,
May 1, 4:50am
I always add kings soup mix, tbh I don't know if any other company makes packets like that !
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