I've added another potato to this soup to make it thicker. If you use rich-tasting chicken stock instead of water, you may omit the cream and butter at the end. Taste well for salt and white pepper before serving.

Caramelized Onion-Potato Soup

2 medium onions

2 leeks, (white parts only)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter)

2 1/2 pounds potatoes (about 4 large russets), peeled and cut into chunks

Salt and white pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

8 cups water, vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

French bread, sliced thinly

Grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Cut onions in half lengthwise, then slice thinly into half-moon shapes. Slice leeks thinly. Place sliced leeks and onions and 4 tablespoons butter in slow cooker. Cook on low for about 8 hours, until onions turn dark brown. (Caramelized onions can be refrigerated until needed.)

To make soup, place caramelized onions and their broth in slow cooker. Add chunked potatoes, salt and white pepper, to taste, thyme, bay leaf and water or stock. Stir, cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours, until potatoes are very soft.

Remove bay leaf and puree soup with immersion blender or pass soup through food mill. (If you prefer, mash potatoes with back of spoon and leave soup lumpy.) Taste for salt and white pepper.

Before serving, stir cream, butter and parsley into soup. Make croutons, sprinkling cheese on top of bread and broiling until golden brown. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Adapted from Slow Cooker Cooking (Morrow; $25) and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (Broadway; $40)

Although it will be different from the bistro version, this dish is very flavorful. The key is not to overcook the peppers and onions. After cooking on low for 6 hours, test the peppers. They should be tender with a little bite of texture. Add a few skinless, boneless chicken thighs to the stew if you can find them.

Poulet Basquaise (Chicken with Hot Peppers, Ham, Tomatoes and Onions)

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, or equal amounts of breasts and thighs, cut into bite-size chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 serrano or jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced

6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thinly

2 large red bell peppers, cored and thickly sliced

4 thick slices (about 1/4 pound) prosciutto or other quality ham, cut into cubes

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped

1/4 teaspoon thyme

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Brown chicken in oil over medium-high heat in large saute pan. Remove with slotted spoon to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, stir, cover and cook on low about 6 hours. Stir, adjust seasonings and serve with rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Adapted from Bistro Cooking (Workman; $13.95)

Again, this is not like the top-of-the stove version, but still tasty. To keep the rice from turning mushy, stir it in just before serving.

Chicken, Turkey Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya

1 bay leaf

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon cayenne

3/4 teaspoon oregano

3/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 cup spicy turkey sausage, diced (or other spicy sausage)

1 large onion, roughly chopped

3 celery ribs, diced

1 large green bell pepper, cored and roughly chopped

3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts and thighs, cut into bite size pieces

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 1/2 cups Clamato juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

12 ounces frozen cocktail shrimp (peeled and cooked)

3 cups cooked rice

1/4 cup chopped scallions

Add all ingredients except cooked rice, shrimp and scallions to slow cooker. Stir well, cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir in frozen shrimp. Cover and cook on low about 10 minutes, until shrimp are heated through. Stir in cooked rice.

Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Sprinkle chopped scallions on jambalaya before serving. Makes about 8 servings.

Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen (Morrow; $28)

This slow cooker dish gives you the option of shredding the beef into the pasta sauce, or serving the ribs separately and saving the sauce for later. Either way, this is delicious food made for slow-cooking and winter weather. If you refrigerate the pureed sauce, you can skim some of the extra fat that rises to the surface.

Braised Beef Short-Rib Pasta Sauce

2 to 3 pounds beef short ribs

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 carrots, peeled and chopped roughly

1 large bulb fennel, chopped roughly

2 large onions, chopped roughly

1 bay leaf

2 jalapeno peppers, seed and chopped roughly

4 garlic cloves, chopped roughly

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fennel seed (optional)

1 cup dry red wine*

3 cups canned tomatoes in heavy puree

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper both sides of ribs generously. Roast ribs on a rack in a 425 degree oven about 12 minutes per side, until browned well. Remove from oven and allow to drain another 10 minutes.

Place ribs in slow cooker with remaining ingredients and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove ribs to plate. Remove and discard bay leaf. Puree sauce with immersion mixer or in food processor.

Shred beef from bones into sauce. (Or, serve ribs separately.) Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve sauce over pasta with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. Makes about 8 generous servings of pasta sauce.

*Reduce or eliminate the wine from this recipe, if you prefer, substituting an equal amount of chicken stock.

Adapted from Cucina Simpatica (HarperCollins; $30)