Cholent Food

CHOLENT

Steps:

• Wash the chick peas, pick them over and soak overnight in cold water to cover by at least 2 inches.
• Skin the chicken thighs. Trim and cut the chops into 2-inch chunks. Trim the meat of as much fat as possible. Set aside.
• In a hot saute pan, heat the olive oil, and brown the meat in batches. Brown the onions, then the garlic. Drain and place the chick peas, onions, and garlic in a Dutch oven. Stir in the spices and sugar. Add the veal and chicken. Add water to cover. Cook over low heat for 1 hour.
• Skim off 2 tablespoons of fat and 1/2 cup of liquid from the cholent. Let this cool a little and mix it with the matzo meal and eggs. Form the dough into walnut sized balls and add to the pot. Add the carrots and sausage. Season the stew. Cook for 2 hours on the stovetop or place in a 225 degree F oven overnight. At any rate, it's much better the next day.

CHOLENT

Steps:

• Place the beans in a medium bowl and cover with a few inches of water. Refrigerate at least 8 hours.
• Using the sear feature of your slow cooker, or a heavy pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the beef on both sides with salt and pepper. Sear the beef until deep golden brown on one side, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn and sear other side until golden brown, 4 to 6 more minutes. Remove the beef and set aside. Remove and discard excess oil. Add 1/4 cup of the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. Cook until mostly reduced, about 30 seconds.
• If searing in the slow cooker, add the onions in one layer. Top with the potatoes, then the seared beef. If searing in a separate pan, place the onions in one layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with the potatoes, then the beef, then pour in the reduced wine.
• Top with the drained beans, then the carrots, garlic and barley. Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup red wine, tomato paste and honey in a large glass measuring cup and add 2 cups water. Add the water mixture and the beef broth to the cooker. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.
• Stir in the vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve.

KOSHER VEGETARIAN CHOLENT

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight, then drain.
• Or, follow package directions for quick soaking.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the garlic, onions and celery until tender.
• Put in slow cooker.
• Add the potatoes, carrots, beans, bay leaf and paprika.
• Dissolve the soup mix in 1 cup of the hot water and add to the vegetables with the remaining 3 cups of water.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover tightly and cook on low 18-24 hours.
• Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
• Makes four very generous servings.

EASY CHOLENT

Steps:

• Add all to the crockpot and top with water.
• Cover and cook on low about 16 hours or until needed.

CHOLENT

Steps:

• Soak beans overnight. Drain and discard any stones. Place beans in 8 quart pot and cover the top of the beans with an inch of water.
• Sear your beef roast and leave whole. Place beef roast and beef bones into pot.
• Dice the onions and mince the garlic, chop cilantro.
• Combined remaining ingredients except for potatoes into a food processor and mix. Put mixture over meat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer/low and allow to cook for 3 hours.
• Add potatoes and allow to cook for one hour more.
• Before Shabbos, place the pot on the blech and add one inch of water above the ingredients. For a pareve cholent omit the meat and meat bones.

BEST CHOLENT EVER

Steps:

• You will need a 5.5 gallon pot you can put in the oven (i.e. no plastic parts). Cook the spaghetti in a different pot with the tumeric (for color).
• While it cooks, heat the oil in the pot over a large flame and add the chicken and ground beef. Stir as necessary so they are browned on all sides.
• In the meantime, slice the potatoes into 1/2" discs.
• When the meat is browned, take out the chicken pieces and the beef, but leave the oil and shmaltz in the pot. Add the onion slices to the pot to form the first layer--the onion layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the potato slices to form the potato layer. Sprinkle with the chicken soup powder and pepper to taste.
• Add the chicken drumsticks, squeezing them together to make a nice tight chicken layer. Sprinkle with the paprika and add salt and pepper--you know the drill.
• Strain the spaghetti, rinse it off and add it to the pot to form the spaghetti layer, salt and pepper as usual.
• Add the ground beef--it will not be a layer, it's just there for flavor.
• Cut a cooking bag open so you have a sheet. Place it on top of the layers and add 1 Tbsp of oil and 1/2 c of water. Make sure they stay in the center of the cooking sheet and don't spill over into the cholent--they will fill your hermetically sealed pot with the steam necessary to cook your cholent without it drying out as it waits 16 hours in the oven for you to eat it!
• Cover the pot and wrap it on all sides with aluminum foil. Put it in a 180 degree Celsius (medium temperature) oven for 40-60 minutes, then switch the oven over to the hot plate setting, or move it to a hot plate with a box around it to make sure heat is even on all sides. From experience, putting it on a regular hot plate means the bottom layers burn and the top layers are kind of anemic looking, without all the delicious sauce.

CHOLENT

Steps:

• Soak beans overnight and rinse beans.
• I also rinse the barley.
• In large frying pan heat oil and add onion.
• Fry until browned.
• Add meat cubes and brown.
• Add tomato paste, onion soup mix, brown sugar and 1 cup of water and simmer on low flame with lid for approx 20 minutes.
• Now using a crock pot.
• Add peeled potatoes.
• I like them whole, but some like to cut them in chunks.
• Add soaked and rinsed beans and rinsed barley.
• Pour sauce and meat mixture over this and try to mix.
• Add approx 3/4- 1 cup of water or until it is barely covered.
• Place in crockpot on low right before the Sabbath and it will be ready the next day for lunch.
• The entire house will smell amazing.
• Remove liner from crockpot and let sit about 15 minutes.
• Stir gently and serve.

MEAT CHOLENT

Steps:

• Submerge beans in water and soak overnight.
• Drain well.
• Use a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven and brown the meat and onions in the fat.
• Sprinkle with salt, pepper and ginger.
• Add the beans and barley.
• Sprinkle with the flour and paprika.
• Add enough boiling water to cover one inch above the mixture; Cover tightly.
• Cholent may be baked for 24 hours in an oven 250F, or, for quicker cooking, bake in a 350F oven for 4 to 5 hours.
• Slice the meat and serve with the barley and beans.