Cholent is one of the best known dishes from the Jewish kitchen. Observant Jews are forbidden to take an active part in the cooking process on the Sabbath, so Saturday's lunch must be prepared on Friday. Because they value a hot midday meal on this most special day of the week, they learned years ago to make this slow-cooking stew that could cook for as long as twenty-four hours. Traditionally, every Friday, when the neighborhood baker finished baking the challah, all the families of the town put their sealed pots in the baker's oven. Their cholent was left in the oven and slowly cooked until after the Saturday morning prayers. Although few would claim that there is anything delicate about cholent, it is one of the world's most beloved stews, heavy and filling, virtually a meal in itself. Almost every Jewish community has its own version of this unique dish. This Israeli version is a combination of several "grandma's secret recipes," gathered from many different Jewish communities around the world.
ESSENTIALS:
--This dish is difficult to prepare
--This dish is expensive to prepare
--You can prepare this dish in advance
--To store any left-over cholent, simply refrigerate
--The cholent can also be frozen
--Add a little water and reheat on a stove top over very low heat or in the oven at a very low temperature. Try to prepare enough, but not too much, because reheated cholent is not as good as freshly cooked.
--Try to buy "fresh" dried beans, as older beans take longer to cook.
--Dried beans which have been cooked but are left unused will ferment very quickly.
--You can find ready-to-cook kishke in most kosher butcher shops.
--Always pick over lentils before cooking, as they often have small stones.
--Be careful not to overcook lentils, or they will split and fall apart.
--It is customary in some cuisines to soak lentils before cooking. This practice can be adopted whenever using lentils.
--In this version we give recipes for three different dishes that are traditionally cooked with the hamin. You can prepare all three, part of them, or none at all.
--Chicken soup is the traditional accompaniment to cholent.
TIME:
prep time : 1 hour and 40 minutes
cook time : 12 to 18 hours
!! Kibbeh Samak - Fish Kibbeh
ING:
Servings: 2 people
Small [onions] 3
[Olive oil] 2 tbs
[Pine nuts] 25 g
Fine [bulgur] 180 g
[White fish fillets] 375 g
Fresh [coriander] small bunch
[Parsley] small bunch
[Lemon] zest 1 tsp
[Salt] and freshly ground pepper to taste
[Lemon] wedges for garnish
[Tahini] sauce as needed
@
Servings: 4 people
Medium [onions] 3
[Olive oil] 60 ml
[Pine nuts] 50 g
Fine [bulgur] 360 g
[White fish fillets] 750 g
Fresh [coriander] small bunch
[Parsley] small bunch
[Lemon] zest 1 tsp
[Salt] and freshly ground pepper to taste
[Lemon] wedges for garnish
[Tahini] sauce as needed
@
Servings: 6 people
Medium [onions] 4-5
[Olive oil] 75 ml
[Pine nuts] 80 g
Fine [bulgur] 540 g
[White fish fillets] 1 kg
Fresh [coriander] small bunch
[Parsley] small bunch
[Lemon] zest 1 tsp
[Salt] and freshly ground pepper to taste
[Lemon] wedges for garnish
[Tahini] sauce as needed
@
Servings: 8 people
Medium [onions] 6
[Olive oil] 100 ml
[Pine nuts] 100 g
Fine [bulgur] 720 g
[White fish fillets] 1 1/2 kg
Fresh [coriander] medium bunch
[Parsley] medium bunch
[Lemon] zest 2 tsp
[Salt] and freshly ground pepper to taste
[Lemon] wedges for garnish
[Tahini] sauce as needed
@
Servings: 10 people
Medium [onions] 7-8
[Olive oil] 120 ml
[Pine nuts] 125 g
Fine [bulgur] 900 g
[White fish fillets] 1 3/4 kg
Fresh [coriander] medium bunch
[Parsley] medium bunch
[Lemon] zest 2 tsp
[Salt] and freshly ground pepper to taste
[Lemon] wedges for garnish
[Tahini] sauce as needed
@
Servings: 12 people
Medium [onions] 9
[Olive oil] 125 ml
[Pine nuts] 160 g
Fine [bulgur] 1 kg
[White fish fillets] 2 1/4 kg
Fresh [coriander] medium bunch
[Parsley] medium bunch
[Lemon] zest 1 tbs
[Salt] and freshly ground pepper to taste
[Lemon] wedges for garnish
[Tahini] sauce as needed
@
TOOLS:
[Chef's knife]
[Cutting board]
[Frying pan]
[Wooden spoon]
[Slotted spoon]
[Bowl]
[Strainer]
[Food processor]
[Pepper mill]
[Spatula]
INFO:
In the region, unlike the West, jams and preserves are not usually spread on bread, but rather eaten straight from the spoon with black coffee or water. Jams can also be served as a very refreshing dessert with yogurt or thick cream.
ESSENTIALS:
--There are 5 minutes of rest time during preparation
--there are 2 hours of rest time before serving
--This is a simple dish to prepare
--This dish is relatively low in cost
--You can prepare this dish in advance
--Store the squash jam in a sealed glass jar and refrigerate
--This dish cannot be frozen
--This dish cannot be reheated
--When a recipe calls for nuts, you may substitute them for either walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds, according to taste.
--Serve this unusual jam with crunchy biscuits and strong black tea.
