The Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook

by Diane Phillips

Savor the unforgettable flavors of the Mediterranean using a slow cooker! These 80 recipes are devoted to such iconic dishes as Beef in Barolo from Italy, Braised Basque Chicken from Spain, Bouillabaisse from France, and Spicy Tagines from Morocco. With a source guide for unusual ingredients and helpful streamlined techniques, these slow-cooked specialties are simple to make and even easier to eat.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Reference

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not necessarily a bad cookbook, just didn't do it for me. I flipped through recipe after recipe, and just didn't find anything inspirational. In the end, I didn't find a single recipe I really wanted to try.

There were a lot of lamb recipes, which just isn't practical for me as lamb is expensive and hard to come by. Also, a lot of the recipes just seem like they would be easier out of the slow cooker; they just weren't what I was expecting. Part of the allure of the slow cooker is easy low prep recipes, that develop a nice rich flavor due to the long, slow cooking. While some of these aren't much more complex than browning the meat before tossing them in, others take more prep work than I want from a slow cooker recipe.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a helpful list of ingredients to keep in "A Mediterranean Pantry" with suggestions for what to buy, and a wealth of information about Mediterranean cuisine in general. Some of the ingredients called for might be difficult to obtain (or more trouble to prepare). Substitutes aren't always suggested. There are only two or three recipes that I'll be trying.

[Charlane Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow Cooking Mediterranean looks wonderfully doable.

Since I eat Biblically kosher, gluten-free, and dairy free there wer many recipes I can't ise without havking them. However, the possibilities seem endless. I'm looking forward to start the cooking. Only thing wrong with the Kindle version is some letters came out wrong, using "u" instead of "v", but recognizable.

[T · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yet another cookbook that calls for many ingredients that are either difficult to source or too expensive. On top of that, there are very few photos of the recipes so, again, I ask cookbook authors to either do all pictures or no pictures.

The only good thing about this cookbook is that it uses the slow cooker so most recipes aren’t time sucks.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book with good recipes although it had too many exotic ingredients that I would love to try in a restaurant but wouldn't buy or cook with at home.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one to buy.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

- one for lack of photos & - one for having to precook many ingredients on the stove. In my lazy opinion, I use a crockpot, so that I do not have to precook anything. I just throw it all in (at various times) and when I open the lid a few hours later: VOILA, I have my dinner.

The book is in a paper bound format, so if you crack the spine you'll lose pages. The pages themselves are a slick matt finish, so if you spill & wipe up very quickly, there will not be too much damage. There are very few photographs and the ones there are do not look appetizing to me.

Recipes: the title is in a larger thin purple font; the ingredients are on the side in a yellow frame; above the instructions is a short blurb about the recipe in a brown bold font; and the instructions are in a small (tiny) thin black font (making it almost impossible to read... and i wear tri-focals).

Contents include: Acknowledgements; Introduction (Where are we, Mediterranean flavors, Using your slow cooker, & A Mediterranean pantry); Soups; Meats (Pork, lamb & beef); Poultry (Chicken, duck, game hens, & turkey); Seafood; Pasta, rice & other grains; Vegetables & legumes; Sauces & condiments; Resources; and Index.

Swordfish Picatta;Moroccan Seafood Stew; Eggplant Moussaka; Pancetta & rosemary beans; Falafel in saffron tomato sauce; Olive oil poached tuna; Braised duck legs w/ wild mushrooms & almonds; Duck confit; Spinach & feta stuffed chicken breasts in lemon dill sauce; saffron braised chicken thighs stuffed w/ Serrano ham; Two big Italian meatballs; Short ribs Bourguignon; Moroccan beef stew; Lamb stuffed w/ artichokes & braised lemon in white wine; and Pork shoulder stuffed w/ prunes and port wine.

Nice recipes, but as I said, I couldn't see them.... Shame

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent cookbook regardless of how you use the recipes, while slow cookers are great, especially these days when we're trying to fit a healthy meal into our busy schedule, you'll find it's not necessary to use a slow cooker to make these really fantastic authentic recipes. I recognized many of the dishes and lucky for me, none were terribly complicated. The fresh healthy ingredients make for exceptional meals. I tried a couple this past week and scribbled some spice and veg combos to file away for future experimentation. All in all the best cookbook I've perused in years, not since "Mediterranean Light" have I had such delightfully fresh results. Perfect for anyone who wants to have a comforting hot meal with lots of vegetables and wonderfully authentic Mediterranean herbs and spices.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid Mediterranean cookbook. The highlights for me were the fish and sides (timpani potatoes!). There is a lot of lamb - not unexpected, but not something my family will eat a lot. And most of the recipes involve several steps - this book makes complicated dishes easier, but there's still a lot of prep and braising. This isn't a 'set it and forget it' book at all.

If you are looking for a way to simplify cooking Mediterranean flavors, this is worth checking out. But it's not something that would find it's way into heavy rotation at my house.

[False · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't even own a slow cooker...yet. I didn't really see any recipes in this book I would want to make. Still. For some, I am sure it will be nice. Since I read this book, I have bought a slow cooker, and I accidentally checked this book out again in November 2013? I STILL didn't see one thing I would want to prepare from this book.

[Tressa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked The Mediterranean Slow Cooker, but there are a few more steps than just “add ingredients to the slow cooker.” The recipes looked delicious and the use of the slow cooker is definitely a time saver versus the traditional method of preparation. I think I’ll tackle these recipes once I’m more comfortable using a slow cooker.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personally I like more pictures in cookbooks because I like the motivation.

This slow cooker cookbook was a little too intense for me or anyone just wanting to test out slow cooker recipes. The recipes are moderately ingredient heavy and for many (me especially) this makes it slightly more unlikely that I will try any of these recipes.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stars may go up as I do more recipes, but so far I feel that this book does a fair job of representing the Mediterranean and has enough variety to intrigue anyone.

[Mt. Lebanon Public Library]

Yum!-Beth
Call #: 641.5884 Sci

[Marge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will continue to read and use this book forever.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipes!!!

[Cheryl]

Not Med'n as in the healthful diet, too many of these recipes have pork, cream, etc. Also indulgently pretentious, ie cipollini instead of pearl onions, as if in a hearty slow-cooked meal with lots of other flavors you'd really notice the difference. I did not get a single inspiration.

[Tracy]

Not worthwhile for vegetarians. The majority of the dishes are meat-based, and several of the dishes in the pasta/grains and vegetables sections included meat as well (for example moussaka was considered a vegetable dish).