Slowcook

The literal translation of "pot on the fire" refers to the way this old standard was originally cooked, in a huge cast-iron pot directly in the fireplace. Any combination of vegetables and meat can be used, and the French versions are as numerous as there are regions of the country.

Our version of this classic takes its lead from the traditional versions of Languedoc and Castelnaudary, but we've given it an update to make it a simpler, quicker and healthier dish. Haricot, great northern, cannellini or navy beans can be used in this recipe.

Coq à la bière is a specialty of the beer-producing region of Alsace, but this recipe uses a pale ale instead of the traditional dark brew... and the result is a lighter, more delicately flavoured sauce that suits the chicken perfectly. Shallots, also called french shallots, golden shallots or eschalots, are small, elongated, brown-skinned members of the onion family that grow in tight clusters similar to garlic.

A traditional Sunday lunch for many Italian families - this ragu is a flavour-filled delight.

This melt-in-your-mouth beef stew is full of flavour and perfect for a cold night.

You'll be a star when you serve up this slow-roasted lamb with garlicky skordalia and lemon potatoes for Sunday lunch.

A fragrant red curry with slow-cooked pork that will melt in your mouth.

Slow-cooked in jerk seasoning, these drumsticks are tender and delicious, gorgeous as a starter or to hand around at a party.

A rich and fragrant spinach korma curry with tender lamb shanks.

A slow-cooked, meltingly-tender, divinely rich Thai beef curry topped with crunchy peanuts.

Turkey is often sold frozen in larger supermarkets. Allow at least one day to thaw in the refrigerator before using. If you can’t find a turkey hindquarter use two turkey drumsticks (often called turkey shanks), or use turkey breast on-the-bone, (called turkey buffe). You can serve the turkey with the strained and seasoned juices instead […]

Serve this delectable pudding hot or warm, with cream, ice-cream or custard.

Slow-cooked, tender pieces of beef and fried eggplant pair beautifully in this spiced Moroccan stew.

Check with the butcher to make sure the tripe has been cleaned and blanched. We suggest you blanch the tripe again ­(see first step) ­before cutting it into pieces. You might have to order the tripe from the butcher in advance. Note

Suitable to freeze at the end of step 2. Add sour cream when reheating. Note

Fresh curry leaves and fenugreek seeds add extraordinary flavours to this spicy tamarind pork curry, while coconut cream adds depth and creaminess.

Beef and mushroom make a delicious pair in this herby, slow-cooked stew.

Get warm and cosy with this wholesome soup, perfect served with crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

To freeze. Complete the recipe to end of step 2. Pack into freezer-proof containers, leaving a 2.5cm (1 inch) space to allow for expansion. Seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave on medium power (50%) until heated through Note

Served with grilled pita bread, this beautiful slow-cooked lamb stew is just what you need on a cold day.

"Country-style terrine" is the literal meaning of this classic dish as it is chunky and rustic. Juniper berries, the dried fruit from the evergreen tree of the same name, can be found in specialty spice stores and better delicatessens.

Suitable to freeze at the end of step 1. Shawarma usually refers to meat cooked on a turning spit, but it also refers to a pitta bread sandwich. This is our slow cooker take on the shawarma. Place the meat, salad, bread, yoghurt and harissa on the table and let everyone make their own wrap. […]

Serve ribs with steamed rice and stir-fried asian greens. Ask the butcher to cut the rib racks into pieces that will fit your slow cooker.

Serve shanks with flour tortillas, a green salad and lime wedges.

Most cooks put roasted duck into the “leave it to the chefs” basket, but it’s really not that different from roasting a chicken. Once you give it a go, crispy, tender roast duck will become a new favourite.

A wonderful spiced chicken with all the flavours of Portugal. Basted with a chilli, garlic, paprika and oregano paste then stuffed with lemon and thyme, this chicken is fragrant, moist, tender and spicy.

French-trimmed lamb shanks are redolent with the spices of the Middle East in this Moroccan inspired dish.

Green olive and lemon makes for a tender and tasty roast chicken. You can use natural string to tie the legs in place of small steel skewers.

Chana masala is a deliciously spicy vegetarian chickpea curry, best served with steamed basmati rice, yoghurt and naan.

A rich oxtail stew with red wine and port; the perfect winter dish.

Anchovy and chilli lamb neck chops with creamy polenta from Australian Women's Weekly.

Slow cooked beef pot roast with root vegetables has the house smelling gorgeous all afternoon.

The piece of blade steak is also known as a “bolar of blade”, or just “bolar blade”; it is a shoulder cut. Beef silverside or rolled brisket are also suitable to use. Serve with spinach mash and steamed green beans. Not suitable to freeze. Note

Barley is a wonderful, healthy and tasty way to thicken a delicious soup or stew such as this one.

This slow-cooked curry is divine served with a dollop of yoghurt and warm chapatis.

A tender and fragrant Vietnamese clay pot chicken dish from Australian Women's Weekly.

Bollito misto, which translates as "boiled mixed meats", is a traditional North Italian dish served on New Year's Eve and other special occasions.

The deep, earthy flavours of this pot roasted pork shoulder with mushroom, port and chestnut are redolent of winter evenings and roaring fires.

To freeze Complete the recipe to the end of step 3. Pack into freezer-proof containers, leaving a 2.5cm (1 inch) space to allow for expansion. Seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave on medium power (50%) until heated through, then continue from […]

This easy one-pot meal is completely delicious and makes for a lovely family dinner.

Preserve your own bottle tomatoes with this recipe from Australian Women's Weekly.

This golden beef pie is classic comfort food; perfect for a cosy night in by the fire.

serving suggestion Serve with toasted sourdough or cornbread. While we’ve used cannellini beans here, you can use any canned white beans you like, such as great northern, navy or haricot. Use a plain (unflavoured) tomato-based sauce suitable for serving over pasta. These sauces can be bought in cans and jars and are often labelled “sugo” […]

Cosy up with this winter with tender slow-cooked lamb shanks and dreamy white bean purée.

Tender and slow-cooked beef in red wine sauce with roasted tomatoes from Australian Women's Weekly.

A delicious slow-roasted honey and soy pork neck with complex Asian spices and flavours.

Spicy and rich duck vindaloo from Australian Women's Weekly.

A classic of American frontier cookery, pork and beans makes a fabulous weekend lunch or dinner dish in the middle of winter.

Slow-cooker meals are a blessing during the working week, especially in the colder months. Let this lamb, spinach and chickpea pilaf greet you at the end of a busy day.

Ask the butcher to cut the ribs for you so they will fit into your slow cooker. Note

Almonds, prunes and shallots add depth to the flavour of this succulent chicken cooked in a tagine.

Sweet chunks of apple, whole spring onions and sage add complex flavour to this slow-cooked pork neck pot roast.

David's favourite meat is lamb and his favourite cut of lamb is the shank. This slow-cooked stew is best cooked the day before and reheated gently. He's a smart man, that Dave.

Osso buco can be made a day or two ahead; keep, covered, in the refrigerator.

These sticky ribs are seriously messy, so have finger bowls and loads of napkins on hand, they're also excellent served with thinly sliced fried potatoes.

Lamb shanks that will fall off the bone and melt in your mouth with a flavour-packed bean ragu.

Ask the butcher for lamb shoulder as what is sold as diced lamb is sometimes from the leg and will not be as tender. Note

Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice mixture meaning `top of the shelf’. The mixture varies from one merchant to another, but is always subtly savoury with a touch of heat. Note

Earthy, autumnal and deeply savoury, this mushroom ragu is excellent served on polenta, pasta, a side for beef or veal or even on thick slices of toasted sourdough.

Warming and delicious slowcooked spicy lentil soup from Australian Women's Weekly.

Artichoke leaves are pulled off the whole artichoke, one by one, and eaten by scraping against the teeth to extract the soft flesh at the base of each leaf. In this recipe we suggest dipping the leaves in a full-flavoured olive oil and the flavoured crumbs before eating. Note

Rich and tender neck chop and lentil stew with a bright and fluffy kumara and carrot mash.

It is always incredibly handy to have some homemade chicken stock on hand; freeze it in handy 200ml and ice-cube sized portions for soups, curries and sauces. Frozen stock will keep well for up to 3 months.

Suitable to freeze at the end of step 4. Coconut water is the liquid from the centre of an immature coconut. It is readily available in tetra packs and cans from a variety of supermarkets. Ensure it’s labelled 100 per cent coconut water, and that it is not sweetened. Note

The meltingly soft flesh of this slow-roasted duck leg is rich and gamey and perfectly paired with the balsamic vegetables.

Served with creamy mashed potato and gravy, this lamb shank stew is comfort food at its finest and yet fancy enough to serve up to guests.

This delicious, hearty Irish pie is comfort food at its best.

Cosy up this winter with this hearty, filling soup.

Served with crostini and cornichons, pork rillettes make a sophisticated, delicious appetiser.

Infused with garlic and rosemary, this delicious, slow-cooked lamb roast will melt in your mouth.

Succulent lamb shank pieces combine with chunks of vegetables to make this spice infused soup.

This is the classic osso buco dish, Osso Buco Milanese is a ragu of tender veal on the bone, served on a bed of saffron risotto and topped with herby, garlicky gremolata.

There's nothing more satisfying than slow-roasted lamb shanks on a cold winter's evening. They're filling, comforting and make the house smell fabulous for hours in the lead up to dinner.

Osso buco is another term that butchers use for veal shin, usually cut into 3cm to 5cm thick slices. Serve this osso buco with artichoke and lemon on a pile of creamy polenta for a comforting winter meal.

Star anise, cloves, cinnamon, sichuan pepper and fennel seeds are the spices that make these lamb shanks in five-spice with tamarind and ginger so fragrant.

The slightly astringent flavour of quince is the perfect foil to the sweet creaminess of cheesecake, especially when doused in fresh lemon juice. This quince and vanilla cheesecake has our favourite granita biscuit base. Yum.

Tender, succulent lamb shanks and creamy black-eye beans together make a hearty soup. Serve with crusty bread and a liberal sprinkling of freshly chopped coriander.

Slow-roasting the veal breast with a selection of vegetables adds great flavours to the juices left behind in the pan. Serve this tender, tasty meat on soft polenta with a good splash of the cooking juice.

This lamb, eggplant and prune tagine is rich, unctuous and utterly delicious. Best served on a pile of fluffy couscous with preserved lemon.

This dish is sophisticated enough to serve at a dinner party.

Meaning ‘salted pork with lentils’, in French, this hearty, rustic-style dish is a specialty of France’s Auvergne region. Toulouse is a small French sausage made of coarsely diced pork and flavoured with wine, garlic and various seasonings. It is available from speciality butchers. You can also use thick pork sausages. Taste before adding any salt […]

Slowcooked Moroccan-style vegetables that will melt in your mouth.

This is Vietnam’s famous beef noodle soup. Note

These slow-roasted beef shanks will melt in your mouth.