You could almost think that crock pots were designed for cooking dried beans, peas and lentils. Without being boiled furiously, but slowly simmered with gutsy flavoured ingredients, dried pulses  hold their shape beautifully and become well-flavoured.

• Dried pulses all require soaking overnight in 3-4 times the amount of water to beans. Drain off the water and cook in fresh water or liquid. Changing the water helps alleviate the “wind” causing nature of the beans.

• Kidney beans require 30 minutes’ boiling time once soaked  and before being placed in the crock pot to cook.

• Cooking time for pulses will vary on the size, freshness and % of dryness of the pulses. Many of our pulses are so well dried today, that they really do need 12 hours minimum soaking.

• Old dried beans and pulses will not become tender no matter how long you cook them for, so don’t buy large stocks and store for extended periods of over 6-9 months.

• Do not add salt to dried pulses until after cooking has finished as salt prevents the beans from softening.

• Acidic ingredients such as wine and tomatoes also slow down the cooking time of dried pulses.

• Dried pulses need plenty of liquid to cook with and naturally the larger the bean or pea, the more liquid required.

• If wishing to add pasta or rice, it is probably easiest to add this , cooked, at end. This is because the brands and styles of  pasta and rice vary greatly today and so absorb more or less water when cooking, making it hard to make any recommendations to you.

Red lentil pasta sauce

A great basic recipe to have at hand for when vegetarian friends pop in or for when  you’re looking for something new to cook.  The sauce freezes well and makes a great mid-week style meal served over a baked potato or kumara or tossed though your preferred chunky-cut pasta.

Preparation time without browning: 10 minutes

Preparation time with browning: 20 minutes

Cooking time: low 4-5 hours, high 2-3 hours

Serves: 5-6

1 cup red lentils

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ cup tomato paste

4 large tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons dried basil

Grated rind 1 lemon

4 cups vegetable stock or water

Method

Turn the slow cooker on to pre-warm for 15 minutes while gathering and preparing the ingredients.

Rinse the red lentils thoroughly and drain well.

         If wishing to brown the ingredients then:

•          Brown the onion in a good dash of oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a moderately-high heat until lightly browned.  Add the garlic and cook a further 1-2 minutes until the mixture is fragrant.
• Into the warmed slow cooker put the lentils, onion and garlic, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, rosemary, basil, lemon rind and stock.  Stir to mix the ingredients well and cover with the lid.
  
  
• Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours or until the lentils are tender.  Season with salt and pepper once the lentils are cooked. If wished, mash the lentils with a potato masher for a smoother textured sauce.
  
  
• For a thinner sauce, stir in extra hot stock or water before serving.
  
  
• Toss the sauce through your favourite pasta, such as fettucini and garnish with olives, diced semi-dried tomatoes and picked fresh parsley leaves or whatever ingredients you prefer.

Allyson’s tips

- Make a double recipe and freeze one half for later use.  The sauce freezes well.

- If making this sauce ahead and reheating, you may require extra stock when reheating.

Variations

- Use tomato paste, that’s pre flavoured for pizzas; there are a number of brands available on the market.

- To add a little meat, add a few rashers of diced crispy cooked and crumbled bacon before serving.

- Stir in ½ cup sundried red pepper pesto into the sieved sauce and heat through without boiling.

- Add 1 cup of mixed finely chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, thyme, oregano or marjoram.

Puttanesca chick pea braise

Gutsy ingredients flavour up this robust Mediterranean-inspired dish.

Soaking time: 12-16 hours

Preparation time without browning: 15 minutes

Preparation time with browning: 20 minutes

Browning recommended: not necessary

Cooking time: low 10-12 hours, high 5-7 hours

Serves: 6-8

2 cups dried chick peas

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

10-12 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled and sliced

2x 400 gram cans chopped tomatoes in juice

3 cups vegetable stock or water

½ cup black olives

29 gram can anchovies, well drained

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼-½ cup sundried tomato paste or pesto

Soak the chick peas in plenty of cold water overnight or for at least 12 hours.  You will require about 3 times the amount of water to chick peas.  Drain well.

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

         If wishing to brown the ingredients then:

•          Brown the onion in a dash of oil until lightly browned.  Add the sliced garlic and cook a further 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is fragrant.
  
  
• Put the onion, garlic, tomatoes, vegetable stock or water, olives, anchovies, capers, dried basil and oregano and the well-drained chick peas into the pre-warmed slow cooker.  Stir to evenly mix the ingredients and cover with the lid.
  
  
• Cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 5-7 hours or until the chick peas are tender.  They do take a long time to cook, so do not be tempted to keep lifting the lid, as they will take some hours to cook to a gentle bite.
  
  
• Stir in the sundried tomato paste or pesto and season with salt and pepper before serving in deep plates or shallow bowls garnished with extra anchovies and rocket or basil leaves.  Accompany with heavily-infused garlic butter grilled bread for a real taste of the Mediterranean.

Variations

- Use other dried beans in place of chick peas.

- Use flavoured canned tomatoes such as Italian-seasoned.

- Use sundried capsicum pesto in place of tomato paste or pesto.

- Add 3-4 diced and crisply cooked bacon steaks before serving.

- For a little meat, add 200 grams sliced salami before serving 

Allyson’s tip

- Acid ingredients such as tomatoes will slow down the softening and cooking time of dried pulses like chick peas, hence the long cooking time.