As well as being a great way to cook tagines, slow cookers (or crock-pots) allow busy people relief from the 4pm crunch time. A meal can be put on to cook before you leave for work and is ready when you get home. Slow cookers are also ideal for cooking cheaper cuts of meat, as the slow, moist cooking tenderises the meat, and because cooking is done on a low setting, they're economical appliances too.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups cooked orzo pasta (or rice)
• 2 tblsp minced or chopped anchovies
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 tblsp chopped capers
• 1 large tomato, diced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• handful pitted black olives, chopped
• 1-5 kg whole chicken (try cornfed chicken)
• 400 gram can chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup white wine
• about 1 tsp paprika, optional

Method

1. Turn the slow cooker onto high for 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Mix together the pasta, anchovies, garlic, capers, tomato, parsley and olives. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Use one third to half of this stuffing mixture to fill the chicken cavity. Secure opening with skewers.
3. Pour the tomatoes and wine into the preheated slow cooker. Sit the chicken in the sauce and sprinkle with paprika.
4. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours before lifting the lid. (Every time you lift the lid you lose 30 minutes' cooking time). Wiggle the chicken's drumstick bone - if it moves freely, the chicken is cooked. At most it may require 30-40 minutes' extra cooking time.
5. Once cooked, lift the chicken from the cooker and cover. Stir in the remaining stuffing mixture into the sauce that has accumulated. Season with salt and pepper and a little fresh or dried basil if wished.
6. Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with polenta or mashed potatoes and several spoonfuls of sauce. Have plenty of bread on the side to soak up the juices.

Cooks Tips

If you wish to cook this dish on a low setting, allow 7-8 hours cooking time. It's advisable to place the chicken into the slow cooker as soon as you have filled it with stuffing. To avoid food-borne bacteria, poultry should never be stuffed and stored in the fridge, as the stuffing may not reheat properly.