S'Derot
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.
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?
Monday, February 18, 2008
One week only! Two for one! (Ki Tisa / 17 Adar I 5768)
Now that being said, there are those of us who want a meat cholent, and who like spicy food. So there will be a SECOND stew, a Jamaican Chicken Curry. Yum!
Jamaican Chicken Curry
| Step | Amt | Measure | Ingredient | Notes | Direction |
| 1 | 1 | Medium | Yellow onion | Diced | Cook Onion and Pepper in oil, until it softens |
| 1 | Red Bell Pepper | 1" dice | |||
| 2 | Jabanero peppers | Fine dice | |||
| 1 | Tblsp | Canola Oil | |||
| 2 | 2 | Tblsp | Fresh Ginger | Minced | Add Ginger and Garlic; cook until fragrant |
| 3 | Cloves | Garlic | Minced | ||
| 3 | 2 | Tsp | Curry Power | Add spices and stir one minute | |
| 1 | Tsp | Allspice | |||
| 1 | Tsp | Cumin | |||
| 4 | 2 | Lbs | Chicken breasts | Cubed | Put mixture into crock pot. Add chicken |
| 5 | 2 | Cups | Chicken stock | Pour chicken stock over chicken and vegetables. |
- Pour chicken stock over all, stir, and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
- Season to taste, and serve with rice and green veggies.
Layered Vegetarian Dinner
| Step | Amt | Measure | Ingredient | Notes | Direction |
| 1 | 6 | Large | Potatoes | Layer vegetables in a large casserole in the order listsd | |
| 1 | Large | Yellow Onion | |||
| 2 | Carrots | ||||
| 1 | Green Bell Pepper | ||||
| 1 | Zucchini | ||||
| 1 | Cup | Frozen Corn | So long as the only ingredient is the vegetable, a specific hecshur | ||
| 1 | Cup | Frozen Peas | is not needed. See Rabbi Baruch Davidson on chabad.org. | ||
| 2 | 2½ | Cups | Tomato sauce | Hunts is certified by O-K | Mix together sauce; pour over vegetables |
| ¼ | Cup | Low Sodium Soy Sauce | |||
| 1 | Tsp | Ground Thyme | |||
| 1 | Tsp | Dry Mustard | |||
| 1 | Tsp | Basil | |||
| 2 | Tsp | Chili Powder | |||
| ½ | Tsp | Cinnamon | |||
| Pinch | Sage | ||||
| 2 | Tblsp | Parsley |
Cook six hours at high or 12 at low.