Sarah Rossi's highly anticipated new cookbook, "What’s For Dinner? Slow Cooker: 100 Fuss-Free Recipes" from HarperCollins, is set to launch next week, promising a treasure trove of delicious winter warmers. This collection aims to inspire families with easy, comforting meals, allowing home cooks to give their air fryers a break and embrace the simplicity of slow cooking. With 100 recipes ranging from mains to desserts, along with practical slow-cooker tips, the book offers solutions for various cooking durations, whether you have two or six hours until dinner.

The essence of these recipes lies in minimal hands-on time: simply prep the ingredients, pop them into the slow cooker, and let the appliance do the work, filling your home with inviting aromas. The cookbook is a must-have for the autumn/winter season, promising to re-ignite a love for slow-cooking with its fuss-free approach, as championed by Rossi's popular Taming Twins food blog.

Photo Credit: Google

Among the featured recipes, three versatile options stand out, designed to become staples in any family's meal repertoire. These include a rich, dumpling-packed stew, a spicy slow-cook mac 'n' cheese, and a straightforward Sunday roast, all designed to earn culinary points with ease.

Roast Pork With Sage And Onion Gravy

This recipe offers what could be the easiest roast dinner ever, serving 4 with a prep time of 10 minutes and a cooking time of 2 hours 20 minutes (on high). The ingredients required are 1 tbsp olive oil, 1.5kg pork loin joint (shin and fat removed), 2 tsp dried sage, 4 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed), 2 onions (peeled and finely chopped), 400ml hot vegetable stock, and 45g cornflour.

Method:

1. If your slow-cooker pot is hob-suitable, place it over a high heat and add the oil. Pat the pork dry with kitchen paper, then brown it on all sides until golden. If not hob-suitable, use a large frying pan for browning. Turn off the hob and transfer the pot to your slow cooker.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow-cooker pot with the browned pork. Pop the lid on and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours, until the meat is tender.

3. Once cooked, transfer the pork to a serving dish, cover tightly with foil, and place 1 or 2 clean tea towels over the top to retain heat. Leave the cooking liquid in the slow-cooker pot.

4. To make the gravy, put the cornflour in a small bowl. Spoon in enough cooking liquid to form a smooth paste, then stir this paste into the rest of the liquid in the pot.

5. Cook the gravy either in a saucepan over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until thickened, or, if your slow-cooker pot is hob-safe, cook it in the slow cooker on high for 20-30 minutes, whisking every 5 minutes to prevent lumps.

6. Slice the pork and serve with the rich gravy and your preferred choice of vegetables.

Creamy Vegetable Stew With Cheesy Dumplings

This hearty and flavourful vegetarian stew is a must-add to your repertoire, serving 4 with a prep time of 10 minutes and a cooking time of 5 hours 30 minutes (on high). The stew ingredients include 2 carrots, 1 swede, and 2 parsnips (all peeled and cut into 2cm pieces), 1 onion (peeled and chopped), 400g tin cannellini beans (drained and rinsed), 50g plain flour, 2 crumbled undiluted vegetable stock cubes, 1 tbsp garlic granules, 1 tbsp dried thyme, and 20g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. For the dumplings, you will need 180g self-raising flour, 100g cold salted butter (cut into small cubes), 30g grated mature cheddar, and 1 tsp dried thyme.

Method:

1. Combine all stew ingredients (except the parsley) with 650ml boiling water in the slow-cooker pot and mix well. Put the lid on and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

2. Approximately 15 minutes before the stew is done, prepare the dumplings. In a large bowl, add the flour and butter. Using clean hands, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles lumpy sand (about 5 minutes).

3. To this flour mixture, add the cheddar, thyme, and some black pepper. Mix, then gradually add cold water (starting with 1 tbsp), gently bringing the mixture together to form 8 small balls.

4. Stir the parsley into the stew. Arrange the dumplings on top. Place a clean tea towel over the top of the slow cooker, ensuring it rests across the edge of the dish but doesn't touch the dumplings (this absorbs condensation), then put the lid on. Cook on high for 30-45 minutes, or until the dumplings are puffy and doubled in size. This stew is suitable for vegans if the cheesy dumplings are omitted.

Photo Credit: The Guardian

Chilli Mac 'n' Cheese

Kids will adore this delightful twist on a family classic, serving 4 with a prep time of 10 minutes and a cooking time of 6 hours 35 minutes (on high). The slow-cook ingredients include 500g beef mince (5% fat), 1 peeled and chopped onion, 1 deseeded and chopped green pepper (1cm pieces), 400g tin chopped tomatoes, 400g tin kidney beans (drained and rinsed), 3 tbsp tomato purée, 1 crumbled undiluted beef stock cube, 2 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano, and 1 tbsp garlic granules. To finish, you'll need 250g dried macaroni pasta, 400-500ml hot beef stock, and 150g grated mature cheddar.

Method:

1. Put all the slow-cook ingredients into the slow-cooker pot and stir thoroughly. Place the lid on and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 8-9 hours.

2. Add the macaroni and 400ml of the hot stock, stir, then replace the lid. Cook on high for 15-20 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. If the sauce appears dry before the pasta is fully cooked, add the remaining 100ml of stock, mix well, and continue cooking for a short period.

3. To finish: Option a) Sprinkle the cheese over the meat and pasta, then stir until melted. Option b) If your slow-cooker pot is grill/oven safe, stir in half of the cheddar, then sprinkle the rest on top and grill under a hot grill for 5 minutes to melt the cheese, watching carefully to prevent burning.