The Mediterranean Slow Cooker

I don't usually write reviews, but this book is fantastic! The recipes are straightforward, uncomplicated, and do not involve obscure ingredients. Every single recipe I've tried so far has been a hit. The meals are authentic and flavorful. Some recipes do involve some precooking as opposed to just dumping everything in the crockpot, but I don't mind doing a little work on the front end if it comes out tasting like I've spent all day on it. I highly recommend this book! Ms. Scicolone also has French Slow cooking and Italian slow cooking books - I just hope she releases a Spanish Slow Cooking book!

I own both of Michele's The Italian Slow Cooker and The French Slow Cooker books, and they are in frequent rotation in my Hamilton Beach Premiere Cookware 5-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker for their winning combination of authentic flavors and relatively easy prep. I preordered her latest, Mediterranean Slow Cooker, and quickly bookmarked several recipes that caught my eye. In the French Slow Cooker, Michele demystified soufflés for the slow cooker. Here, you'll find a variety of egg dishes like spinach and feta omelet, spicy vegetable eggah, Israeli breakfast favorite shakshouka, and a delicate green bean and scallion torta that would all make fantastic brunch options. The poached salmon in court-bouillon was a winner, especially when paired with the suggested tzatziki, and the shrimp with tomatoes and feta (my personal preference was to switch out the white wine in the sauce for red) was also a favorite. The crunchy mustard chicken diable has the ingenious solution of slow-cooking bone-in chicken thighs, then toasting panko on the stove and coating the chicken at the last minute so the topping remains crunchy (this would make a great picnic dish!). And the pork ragu with broken lasagna Maialino-style was an unexpected gem; the simple sauce is served over irregular sheets of lasagna noodles tossed with Parmigiano and arugula. Fans of lamb will find plenty to rejoice over, including numerous Greek recipes like Bandits' Lamb (stuffed with salty Greek cheese) and Middle Eastern lamb and pine nut meatballs. Vegetarians will also find some offerings, such as red lentil soup, winter squash and chickpea soup, polenta with herbs, wheat berry tabbouleh, bulgur and toasted walnut pilaf, and farro with spring vegetables. Like her other slow cooker cookbooks, you'll also find "out of the pot" recipes that use precooked beans, etc.; here these offerings include a Greek country chickpea salad, hummus, and Turkish beet and goat cheese dip. For me, the real star of the book was the desserts. The entire section is crammed full of intriguing finds, like several Greek-inspired cakes (sunny orange cake with orange syrup, walnut cake with cinnamon syrup), decadent cheesecakes (the first recipe I tried was the awesome cannoli cheesecake; see above for a photo) including Nutella, several flans, bread puddings, and fruit (blushing pomegranate pears, warm fruit compote with mascarpone sauce). This is a worthy investment if you enjoy Italian, Spanish, and Greek food, and most of the ingredients should be easy to find at your local supermarket. Yes, there is some prep involved in the chopping and sautéing of veggies (and browning of meat) before cooking, but this adds a wealth of flavor to the final dish that is well worth the extra time (and if you have a slow cooker with a metal insert, you can sauté and cook in the same dish). The desserts alone are worth the cost of the book; Michele taught me that I can make showstopping cheesecakes in my slow cooker, a trick I never would have thought to try on my own! (I used Nordic Ware Leakproof Springform Pan, 7 Inch set on a Spice Ratchet 16812 Blossom Multi-Use Silicone Trivet, Black ). **Update 1/20: In addition to the cannoli cheesecake, I've also made the sunny orange cake with orange syrup (which is basically a revani or basbousa, in this case lightened by folding in whipped egg whites), coffee flan, and the chocolate hazelnut cheesecake (see photos above). Maybe it's just my particular slow cooker, but I found that my cakes baked much more quickly than the suggested times, so check at least 30 minutes before the book times to play it safe. ***Update 5/26: I have also tried the roasted beets and beet and goat cheese dip, basic recipe for chickpeas and the country chickpea salad and hummus, and next up is the coconut flan (everybody RAVES about the coffee caramel flan, so I wanted to try the variation!). I have enjoyed every dish I've tried from the Mediterranean Slow Cooker!

I was looking for a solution to avoid using the oven during the hot summer months and ordered this cookbook. The recipes use fresh ingredients, require a bit of prep work, but the result equals fantastic meals. I could not believe that a slow cooker could be used to create food that is restaurant quality. These are great recipes for entertaining; the slow cooker method allows you to enjoy hosting guests while the dinner is cooking. I was so impressed with this cookbook that I ordered the Italian Slow Cooker, which we are also enjoying. I especially like that the author offers "go with" suggestions. Take a look. You won't be disappointed unless you are looking for recipes that are dump and go. If you are, these cookbooks are not for you.

I have tried five recipes in this book so far and all have turned out great. Her instructions and directions are precise. Follow them! I let one chicken dish cook on too long, and the chicken fell off the bone. Didn't hurt it much. I tried the "Portuguese Pulled Pork," and it turned out great. If I didn't love Tennessee barbecue so much, this would become a staple. The greatest thing about her recipes -- in addition to being delicious -- is that she uses very few of the rare, hard to find items and expensive trendy ingredients that seem to be in vogue with so many of the famous celebrity chefs these days, especially in the ethnic and international cookbooks. (You've seen them: "1 cup of fresh feta cheese from black goats herded by monks and grazed on grass on the north slope of Mt. Athos above 2,000 feet." An obvious exageration, of course, but you get the idea). When she does use something exotic, she always includes at least two or three suggested substitutes. As most of these recipes are adapted for a slow cooker, it is entirely possible that if you're in a hurry you can do a stove top cook for a lot of them. I haven't tried this yet, but a lucious-looking omlettes look very tempting to whip up for breakfast. One disappointment is that I would like to see more pictures. I rarely cook a dish that doesn't have a picture. I like to see what the dish is supposed to look like when it is done, and there nothing like a great photograph to whet my appetite for the dish and make me want to cook it. But, there are enough pictures to keep me busy for awhile.

I hate to be a spoilsport here, but I read the reviews for this book, am a late adapter to the crock and thought this book would have great recipes and be inspiring. I read through it like I do with all new cookbooks, looking for recipes that excited me and would be delicious and I only found one. It was for a soup, so at least I can now understand how to make soup in a crock, but the recipe was not very interesting and I added a lot of other ingredients and spices to make it better. I guess I learned a few techniques in this book but I will not be using it for any of the other recipes. I must also share that I am not thrilled with the crock and prefer stove top and roasting for bringing out the flavors of foods I love. I'm giving it three stars because I don't want to be mean, but it really isn't very sophisticated or interesting.

We love this new book--the ingredients are practical, and dishes have a slightly more interesting spice component than run-of-the-mill crockpot cookbooks. Many dishes list very few ingredients, making it perfect for times when a trip to the market isn't possible and we are cooking from pantry. The Moroccan meatballs cooked in sauce are outstanding, as was the Balsamic Caper Chicken. The pulled pork recipe, though requiring a bit of stove top prep work, is worth the effort as the sauce is light and flavorful. Lots of recipes don't require substitutions if you are following diets without gluten, dairy or nuts.

I think it seems a bit complicated for slow cooking but the plus side is that the meals look healthy.

Loving the convenience of the crockpot, but disliking all the soup-based recipes I've been using, I thought this book might provide an alternative to the usual slow cooker fare. And it has! I have tried five recipes so far and have been very happy with results. Coming from an Italian family, the Greek and Italian dishes I've made taste more authentic and delicious than anything I've attempted in a long time. I have been especially pleased that everything I've made has not only been delicious, but fits in with a healthy and calorie conscious lifestyle.

Ricette semplici e buone, adatte a essere realizzate con la slow cooker. Il libro è in inglese ma semplice da capire. Veramente utile per trovare nuove idee da preparare con la crock-pot.

Superb easy recipes

I purchased this book after buying the Crock Pot Hook Up System for entertaining. The book has semi-gloss pages and photos for about every second recipe. The ingredients used are healthy and fresh and the author does not use dump ingredients like cans of soup. I have been using this book several times a week to prepare nightly dinners. Using the Crock Pot Hook Up system, I was able to prepare the "Chicken with Red Wine and Roasted Peppers" and in the other Crock Pot was the "Lemon Potatoes with Oregano and Dill". Both recipes were delicious but I did double the wine!! The author gives a good overview of choosing a slow cooker and slow cooker safety. The book is broken down by Soups, Eggs, Seafood, Poultry, Beef and Lamb, Pasta/Grains/Beans, Vegetables, and Desserts. Some of our favourite recipes from the book are: Crunchy Mustard Chicken Diable; Turkey Breast with Lemon and Sage; Steak with Pizzaiola Sauce; Short Ribs with Carrots and Olives; Meatballs with Feta and Tomato Sauce; Cauliflower with Tomatoes and Feta; Braised Green Beans with Bacon; and many other recipes in this book. The author gives the region that the recipes come from i.e. France, Italy, Greece, Spain etc. Overall this is an excellent recipe book to have even though it did not have photos of each recipe.

This book was for a friend who was turning 50, and had just purchased a slow cooker. I liked the look of the book, but I have not tried any of the recipes.

This series of books are really easy to follow. The recipes are unique but really tasty