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 30, 2008

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