S'Derot

S'Derot is a community in Israel, located in close proximity to the Gaza Strip. In particular, it is attacked on a daily basis by rockets from Gaza. It really doesn't matter if the rockets are launched by Hamas, people affiliated with Hamas, or just very angry people who'd rather attack Israelis then channel their energy into a productive activity. The attacks are real, the damages are real.

Chabad in S'Derot has set up an online fund to aid the Jewish residents of S'Derot. I would urge you to assist them.

Iron Cholent

Recipes from the Cholent Meister of Chabad of Tyson's Corner, VA (outside of Washington DC). A companion blog to Capitol Chai Life

Cholent is a uniquely Jewish creation...

...while assorted cultures have stews and slow-cooked foods, in Judaism, it is a necessity, since observant Jews are strictly prohibited from cooking on Shabbat, in addition to being severely limited in the use of fire and electricity. While there is some debate about the origin of the word "Cholent" (and for that matter, the term is not universally used -- Ashkenazic Jews [of Eastern European origin] make cholent, while Sephardic Jews [of Western European and North African origin] make Dafina), the origin is reasonably well understood.

Shabbat stews first started to appear around the 4th century CE, but in the 9th century CE, a movement within Judaism arose in the area known as Mesopotamia -- present day Iran and Iraq. These Jews, known as Karaites, believe in a very strict reading of the Torah. In reaction to this group, the Rabbis of the day ordained that their followers have a hot meal as part of their Shabbat observance.

Obviously, this was a challenge, since Jews could not tend a fire, nor cook food. The meal would have to be prepared and mostly cooked by the time Shabbat came in on Friday night, and then have to sit on a pile of coals for sixteen to twenty hours, until it was eaten for lunch on Saturday.

Given these conditions, cholents are generally heavy on beans, root vegetables, grains, and red meat. This simplest cholents are in fact just that -- beans, beef, and onion. Still, cholents have acquired some variation in the past 1700 years or so, and for that matter, some slow-cooked dishes are perfectly fine for cholent. Chili anyone?

Sunday, March 16, 2008

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.
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