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Slowcooked Chicken & Tomato Stuffed Pepper

Stuffed Pepper

Temperatures are dropping and the days are becoming shorter, so for us, it means the slow cooker has come out of the dark depths of the cupboard. We’re trying out a variety of savoury dishes for Halloween, a season not normally known for its savoury foods, but I want to have some options available, at least! Stuffed Pepper

For this recipe, I’ve used yellow peppers. I didn’t realise until I was cleaning them out that one of the peppers only had two humps on the apex, rather than three, which meant it couldn’t stand on its own. Undeterred, I just cut a small layer off, not so much that the bottom of the pepper was opened up – just enough to make it stand up straight.
Stuffed Pepper

Cutting faces in a pepper is a whole lot easier than it is on a pumpkin. Simply use a sharp knife and carefully pop the cutout parts out. Stuffed Pepper

You can use any filling you like, really. I’ve used a chicken and tomato one. If you want to stretch this meal, add some rice or couscous to the pepper. Alternatively, serve each pepper on a bed of rice. I didn’t bother in this particular meal. Stuffed Pepper

Once stuffed, I felt the peppers could use a bit of help to stand out a little, so I used a finger to pop some homemade tomato sauce into the eyes and mouths of the peppers.

Stuffed Pepper

I love the way the chicken and tomato looks a bit like brains, topping off the Halloween face. It’s simple, and quite effortless and very tasty!

Slow Cooked Chicken and Tomato Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Slow cooked Chicken & Tomato Stuffed Pepper
Author: Keeper of the Kitchen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 500g skinless, boneless chicken
  • 1 tin of tomatoes
  • 30ml (2tbs) dark soy sauce
  • 15ml (1tbs) balsamic vinegar
  • 5ml (1tsp) dried or fresh chopped rosemary
  • 5ml (1tsp) salt
  • 5 fresh tomatoes
  • 4 yellow peppers
  • For Halloween Faces, you’ll also need a little tomato sauce
  • Serve with rice or other grain if you are so inclined.
Instructions
  1. Turn a slow cooker on low for 6 hours
  2. Add chicken, canned tomatoes, soy sauce, vinegar, rosemary and salt , put the lid in place.
  3. With an hour to go, add the fresh tomatoes
  4. With 30 minutes to go, remove the lid so the sauce can thicken a little
  5. After six hours, cut the top off the peppers and remove the seeds. (If you’re making Halloween faces, do that now too)
  6. Stuff the pepper, and using a clean spoon or finger, fill the eyes and mouth with tomato sauce.

Find more Halloween recipes here

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DIY Clotted Cream In The Slowcooker Or Crockpot

Clotted Cream

My brother and sister-in-law came to visit from Australia a few weeks ago, and as you do when people come to visit from not-England, you do the very English thing  of taking them for afternoon tea… although I advise that you should first find out if they wanted a high tea or cream tea because they are very different. If you’re expecting a three-tiered tray of triangled sandwiches, pretty dainties and sparkles, getting a plate with two flat scones and a dollop of jam and/or cream is somewhat disappointing, delicious as it is when you were expecting it.

Clotted Cream Anyway, I digress. We got to discussing clotted cream, as you do, and how it’s made and my brother set me the challenge of making clotted cream in the Thermomix. It turns out you can’t in a TM31 because you can’t switch the movement of the blades off. I have someone testing it on the yoghurt function of the T5 at the moment, so we’ll see how that works out, and let you know.

In the meantime however, this incredibly simple recipe – can you call it a recipe if it’s one ingredient? – can be easily adapted whether for a slow cooker or an iPot or whatever you use. The important thing, really, is that you need to put it in something that can be kept still for three hours, and the greater the surface area, the better. Also realise that a 600ml pot of double cream only gives you about 100ml of clotted cream, so have some ideas on hand for what to do with the remaining cream that is similar to buttermilk, and make it sooner rather than later as it won’t last long.

The clotted cream itself will last for 3-5 days in the fridge.

Homemade clotted creamI’ve seen recipes online for clotted cream that I’m pretty sure are actually sour cream – cream and lemon juice – that is not traditional clotted cream. Clotted cream is thick cream obtained by heating milk slowly and then allowing it to cool while the cream content rises to the top in coagulated lumps.

You can also use clotted cream instead of butter on toast, perfect with jam, or instead of ice cream on hot puddings – or with ice cream if you’re so inclined. I have used it to top chocolate mousse and steamed puddings, as in the pictures.

DIY Clotted Cream In The Slowcooker Or Crockpot
Author: Luschka
Ingredients
  • 600ml cream (also 600g)
Instructions
  1. Pour the double cream into your slow cooker and put it on the lowest setting. On mine this is warm (as compared to low or high). It’s roughly 70C.
  2. Leave the lid off to allow air exposure and leave for 3 – 4 hours.
  3. Switch the heat off and leave for another hour.
  4. Move the pot of cream very gently to the fridge making sure not to break the surface or shake it in any way.
  5. Keep in the fridge overnight, then scoop the top thick layer off carefully, putting that in an airtight container and use the remainder as buttermilk in bread or scones which you can then top with your clotted cream!

Don’t have a slow cooker? Pick one up from just over £10!