“I’m a guy who likes to make people happy,” said Lagasse. “It has become a common theme – folks buy electric products to help them manage their time and cooking space better, but then they run out of ideas for new, exciting recipes.”
This book is unlike any other of Lagasse’s creations because it includes 100 delicious recipes that use your slow cooker, multi-cooker, pressure cooker and deep fryer.
It’s difficult to manage work, home, and kids while trying to provide delicious meals for your family. “Gone are the days when most households included a member who stayed home to cook, clean, and generally take care of business while the kids were at school and another person worked to bring home the bacon,” said Lagasse.
Lagasse is aware of cooking barriers and time restraints, so he put together a cookbook to help families eat well. The possibilities are endless – soup, pasta, stew, desserts or a huge weekend bash. Lagasse has it covered. There’s no doubt the master chef is full of great recipes and tons of inspiration.
Lagasse would like to share a special treat with our audience. Here is an exclusive recipe from his new book Emeril’s Cooking With Power.
Slow-Cooked Lasagna
Here’s nothing fancy, just awesome lasagna. You can assemble the entire thing the day or night before, then put it in your slow cooker and flip the switch when you’re hours away from dinner. A green salad, a loaf of crusty bread, and a good full-bodied red wine are all you need. A dinner with friends, on a weeknight!
Meat sauce
1/3 pound ground beef
1/3 pound ground veal
1/3 pound ground pork
½ cup chopped celery (about 1 rib)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (6 to 7 cloves)
Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup homemade beef stock (see page 6) or packaged low-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon salt
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1½ teaspoons sugar
Lasagna
One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 package dried lasagna noodles (9 noodles), ends broken and discarded so the noodles are the length of the slow cooker
12 ounces packaged mozzarella cheese, grated
8 ounces sliced provolone cheese
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. To make the meat sauce, heat a 12- to14-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, veal, and pork and cook, stirring as needed, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the celery, onion, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer. Stir in the tomatoes, beef stock, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, and sugar and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. (This sauce can be made up to several days in advance. It freezes well, too.)
2. Combine the ricotta and the egg in a medium bowl. Stir in ½ cup of the cooled meat sauce.
3. To assemble the lasagna, add ½ cup of the sauce to a 6-quart slow cooker. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles, side by side, on top of the sauce. Place 6 heaping tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on the noodles and spread it 8 to 10 servings out evenly. Top the noodles with one-third of the grated mozzarella, one-third of the provolone slices, and one-third of the fresh mozzarella. Top with 2 cups of the meat sauce. Make two more layers without adding the last layer of cheeses.
4. Cook on low for 4 hours.
5. Add the reserved cheeses and the Parmesan to the lasagna and replace the lid. Turn off the slow cooker and allow the cheese to melt and the lasagna to set up by letting it cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
