Lentil Cholent with Date Honey

This cholent, while not especially difficult to make, proved a challenge for me to scale, as I was not prepared for how much the lentils and the beans would expand after being soaked.

It was otherwise unremarkable in preparation, and yes, once more, no leftovers.

I really have to try harder. Maybe if I make a veggie cholent of just hot peppers....

Ingredients:

Cholent: 3 yellow onions, peeled and chopped 4 Tblsp oil 4 Tblsp Date syrup (Silan) 3½ lb. flanken (cubed) 3-4 marrow bones (tell the butcher you want bones for cholent) 12-15 small potatoes 1 lb Mixed dried beans for cholent (or half red, half white) 1 cup pearl barley 1½ cups green lentils 2 Tsp salt 2 Tsp Black pepper

Optional ingredients: 1 stuffed kishke 8 eggs (use the other 4 for dumpling) 1½ Tblsp Paprika 1½ Tsp Cumin ¾ Tsp Ground Cinnamon ½ Tsp Ground Tumeric Bread dumpling: Cheesecloth 3 yellow onions 150 grams margarine salt and pepper 2 Tbs. honey 8 slices of old bread, coarsely shredded 4 eggs about one-half cup flour

Directions:

1. On the morning before you plan to make the cholent, rinse the beans, barley and lentils well and soak them in hot water.
2. In the afternoon, fry the onions in oil in the cholent pot.
3. Peel potatoes (if using medium potatoes) and place in pot together with all ingredients except for eggs and dumpling.
4. Fill pot with water, cover and bring to boil.
5. Lower flame and simmer for one and a half hours.
6. Hard-boil eggs in another pot.
7. Prepare the dumpling:

• Fry onion in margarine with honey.
• Add bread and stir until brown, remove from flame.
• Add eggs, then flour, salt and pepper.
• The batter should be relatively stiff. If too thin, add a bit more flour.
• Spread cloth napkin or one-quarter of a cloth diaper on work surface.
• Pour batter into it and tie ends together.
• Place bundle in the cholent pot.

8. Add eggs.
9. Place pot in oven, preferably on middle rack (or lower, depending on height of pot) - but not on floor of oven.
10. Adjust temperature to 110° C / 250° F and leave in oven for 14 hours at least

Niku Jaga (Japanese Beef Stew in the Crock Pot)

This is an exceptionally easy stew to make. I weighed out the potatoes and substituted a like mass of baby potatoes (each one was small enough to fit into a cereal spoon). All you do is dice the onion, cube the meat, mix together the base (water, sake, sugar, soy sauce, and soy sauce), through it all in the crock put and cook.

2 lbs beef brisket
1 cup water
½ cup Japanese Sake
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tsp salt
½ lb baby carrots
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 white onion, diced

Put everything in a crock pot, cook 10 - 12 hours on low, 4 to 6 on high.

Sensei and Takura are purported to have explicitly supervised sakes, but Star-K asserts that (unflavored) sake does not require certification. The London Bet Din asserts Choya Sake is kosher. Go figure....

I can't believe they ate the whole thing.

Once more I am forced to make a confession. Last week there was left over cholent, this week I'm just in shock. I screwed up the expansion of the chili recipe and ended up with about 10 to 12 quarts of chili.

Not only that, I put in a healthy amount of Jabañero chili peppers (although I did leave out the ground Cayenne pepper)

Even the Rebbitzin told me I made too much and I had to agree!

Well, once more, the congregation made All Gone. [OK, it took until Seudah Shlisheit, but still...]

I'm not sure, but I think I have tapped in to a need here...

Dana Sly's Blue Ribbon Vegan Cornbread

Ingredients:

• Step 2
  2 Tblsp Ground Flax Seed
  6 Tblsp Water
  
  
• Step 3
  1 Cup All Purpose Flour
  1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
  ¼ Cup Sugar
  ¾ Tsp Salt
  
  
• Step 4
  1 Cup Soy Milk (WARNING: Not all Soy Milk is parve!)
  ¼ Cup Canola Oil

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ground flax seed, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the ground flax seed in the water for 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well-combined.
4. Add the ground flax seed mixture, soy milk, and canola oil to the flour mixture. Beat just until smooth (do not overbeat.)
5. Turn into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces (3 by 3) and serve.

Beef Chili with Kidney Beans

Prepare in advance:
Chop two medium onions in a fine dice; core one red bell pepper, remove seeds, and cut into ½ squares

Step 1 Ingredients 2 tblsp vegetable or corn oil 2 medium yellow onions, chopped fine 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, cut into ½ squares 6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed ¼ cup chili powder 1 tblsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp dried oregano ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• Step 3 and 4
  2 lbs lean (85%) ground beef
  
  
• Step 5
  30 oz canned dark red kidney beans
  28 oz can diced tomatoes
  28 oz can tomato puree
  Salt
  

1. Heat oil in dutch over over medium heat until shimmering, but not smoking
2. Add onions, bell peppers, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne. Cook (stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Increase heat to medium high and add half the beef. Cook, breaking up hunks with a wooden spoon until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes
4. Add the remaining beef, and cook, breaking up hunks with a wooden spoon until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, also about 3 to 4 minutes
5. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for 1 hour.
6. Remove cover, simmer for one more hour.
   

It was bound to happen....

Really.

I knew it would happen in time. The string could not be unbroken.

Yes.

There were leftovers today.

One lonely piece of daikon (Chinese radish). ;-)

This week for the deli roll I just used some roasted chicken, frozen mixed veggies, and marinara sauce. I need to talk to the Mashgiach Meistress. Someone cut the thing into itty-bitty pieces! Oy...

A Chinese Stew

Ingredients

Step		Amount	Ingredient	Notes	Directions
1	3	pounds	Beef Brisket	(aka stew beef)	Trim away outer layers of fat. Cut meat into ½" strips, then cut strips into cubes
2	3	tablespoons	Peanut Oil		Brown meat on all sides
3	3	tablespoons	Hoisin Sauce		Combine sauce ingredients together and bring to boil
	¼	cup	Shaoxing wine	Dry Sherry (Tio Pepe) is an alternate
	¼	cup	Soy Sauce	Make sure it is approved to use with meat. Soy Sauce can be made with fish and the concentration needs to be very low
	1	tablespoon	Garlic	minced
	1	each	Star Anise	whole (can sub ½ tsp Anise seed)
	1	teaspoon	Szechuan Peppercorns	roasted and crushed
	1	teaspoon	Five spice powder
	2	teaspoons	Sugar
	6	cups	Water
	1	tablespoon	Peanut Oil
4					Add beef to sauce, cook for 1½ hours
5	1½	each	Daikon	aka Chinese radish; Roll cut (See below)	Add daikon, cook for 30 minutes

Hoison sauce (½ Cup) -- Mix together:

4 tablespoons soy sauce (See above)	1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons peanut butter or black bean paste	2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey or molasses or brown sugar	20 drops chinese hot sauce, habenero or jalepeno
2 teaspoons white vinegar	1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Notes

• Tough beef is most flavorful, but you must simmer it gently for several hours to soften the sinewy muscle. This slow braising also encourages an exchange of flavors between the meat and the tangy sauce, enhancing both. Game meats or goat meat may be substituted for the beef for a delicious and unusual variation. Veal shanks can also be braised in this manner. Almost any cut of meat or organ that requires extensive cooking does well if braised.
• The strong sauce keeps the meat flavorful throughout.
• Daikon (chinese radish) adds just the right bite, much as turnips would in a Western stew. In effect, this is Chinese beef stew. Turnips or carrots may be substituted for the Chinese radish; Chestnuts have a strong, sweet taste that holds up well to braising.
• To make a roll cut, square off the end of the daikon. Make a diagonal slice and roll daikon ¼ turn and slice again. Continue rolling and cutting until done.

Makes 6 servings.