Cholent

[Comfort Me]

If you feel like a hoping a plane to NYC, I'm pretty sure my shul will be serving cholent at tomorrow's kiddush.

You have no idea how much I'd like that! I was hoping we'd be going to NY for summer vacation, but we are driving to Montreal instead to take up a van load of books. The Talmud Torah day school there was firebombed eruv Pesach, and their library was totaled. We are having a couple of book drives, and to save money we are going to drive the books up.

I really wanted to go to Boro park, too -- I'm still dreaming of going to that metal shop on 13th Ave.!

As they say where I come from, Good Shabbas, Y'all!

[Pam R]

I just read this thread for the first time - it has me wondering if I joined eG too late and missed all of the really good conversations. I loved this one!

I've been giving cholent a lot of thought lately. My grandmothers never made it, my mother has NEVER made it, nor have I. The only time I had it was staying on a kibbutz many years ago. I am... ashamed? that I don't know how to make cholent. I wrote a kosher cookbook! There is something wrong here. I need to learn.

I read that some of you brown things first. Then what? You add a lot of stock? I would imagine that it would absorb lots of liquids. Does anybody have a fantastic recipe for me to try as a starter?? Then I can play around. I think we just ordered some lamb stewing meat... but there are always flanken kicking around... where should I start?

[Pan]

I just read this thread for the first time - it has me wondering if I joined eG too late and missed all of the really good conversations.[...]

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Never fear, the old stuff is just on later pages of the forums. And if you see a thread that hasn't been posted to in a long time and you'd like more discussion on it, just post to it.

[Pam R]

Never fear, the old stuff is just on later pages of the forums. And if you see a thread that hasn't been posted to in a long time and you'd like more discussion on it, just post to it.

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Thanks - I'm picking up on that. But you didn't tell me how to make a good cholent Michael

[Pan]

Never fear, the old stuff is just on later pages of the forums. And if you see a thread that hasn't been posted to in a long time and you'd like more discussion on it, just post to it.

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Thanks - I'm picking up on that. But you didn't tell me how to make a good cholent Michael

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I've never made cholent; sorry.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I read that some of you brown things first.  Then what?  You add a lot of stock? I would imagine that it would absorb lots of liquids.  Does anybody have a fantastic recipe for me to try as a starter??  Then I can play around.   I think we just ordered some lamb stewing meat... but there are always flanken kicking around... where should I start?

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Cholent recipe from Rabbi Ribeye

the article: Cholent: Kosher Ambrosia, Spark Struck of G-d

Cholent: proof positive that the Jews, not Louis Sullivan, first discovered that wondrous gifts ensue when form is allowed to follow function. For cholent is the ingenious, robust, aromatic answer to the biblical admonition not to kindle a fire on the Sabbath day. How, some valorous hausfrau of bygone ages asked, can the children of Israel have a warm, nourishing Sabbath lunch without kindling a fire? And in the Council of Sages, a solution was born: cholent.

The house is permeated by a seductive aroma that entices us to the dining room. The lid is lifted, the mystical pillar of vapor ascends, and we are transported back to Sinai, to Jerusalem, to Anatevka, to dingy tenements on Delancey Street, and simultaneously forward to the long-awaited Messianic era.

and, finally, the discussion (including my review of his actual recipe)

[Pam R]

I'm somewhat surprised by the number of people who ask me how to make cholent. This week alone I've had at least 5 cholent discussions.

So, I've decided to bite the bullet and put together a column on cholent, but as we know from above I have little cholent experience.

I've been working on a beef version - hopefully the perfected recipe will go into the oven/crockpot when I get home from work. (typical bean, barley, veg, beef, water, maybe a splash of red wine, lots of seasoning)

Next week I'll work on a lamb version and a chicken version.

I'm wondering if anybody has made a cholent with rice? I've come across some recipes that do call for rice, but I can't picture the finished product. Any suggestions? Type of rice, technique?

The other thing I was thinking about was buckwheat. Anybody use it?

[cakewalk]

I've never used buckwheat, but I have used whole wheat berries. They're wonderful in cholent because they retain some "bite" even after sitting on the heat for so many hours. I've also added nuts to cholent -- almonds work particularly well, again because they're so hard, so they retain some crunch. I wonder how Brazil nuts would do in cholent. Hmmm. I've never used rice but I suspect it might turn into mush. A friend of mine swears by putting ketchup in beef cholent. It's actually pretty good, too.

[Pam R]

That's my concern with the rice as well. But I've seen recipes that use it. I was thinking that if it would work, it would be nice to use rice with chicken.

The nuts are an interesting idea - might work nicely with the lamb or chicken.

And for ketchup - since the last time I posted about cholent I've been served it a couple of more times - I've also had many discussions about it. Ketchup is a very popular ingredient. I'm leaving it out of mine, but will be using some tomato paste and a little brown sugar (mimicking the sweet tomato?).

[shain]

Resurrecting an old thread... Ever had choulent/hamin? I make it at least once per winter, mine is vegetarian, which is a bit sacrilegious, but I swear it tastes great

 

Here's last year's rendition. We're expecting a cold weather, which will be a great time to make one.

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

On 1/26/2021 at 11:05 AM, shain said:

Resurrecting an old thread... Ever had choulent/hamin? I make it at least once per winter, mine is vegetarian, which is a bit sacrilegious, but I swear it tastes great

 

Here's last year's rendition. We're expecting a cold weather, which will be a great time to make one.

 

More detail?    How did you plate all of the ingredients separately?     I think I see barley, kidney beans, favas, potato, egg obviously, but what's the mystery stuff on top/center that looks like eggplant or squash?    Of course, you had me with jalapeno.     Herbs/spices?

[shain]

21 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

More detail?    How did you plate all of the ingredients separately?     I think I see barley, kidney beans, favas, potato, egg obviously, but what's the mystery stuff on top/center that looks like eggplant or squash?    Of course, you had me with jalapeno.     Herbs/spices?

 

My beans of choice are kidney, extra large chickpeas and lima beans (aka gigante) - I like those large enough to stand on their own. The middle is frozen tofu or seitan (I'm not sure what I used last year) and mushrooms. The former are great at absorbing flavors and juices, and have a pleasant tender texture after stewing overnight. The mushrooms provide flavor and also retain a nice bite.

I cook the wheat/barley in a separate pot, so that it won't glue everything together. Beans go to one side of the pot, mushrooms and go to the other half. Eggs, potatoes and other root vegetables go on top - kohlrabi is great, carrots, turnips and sweet potatoes are also good options.

I think the jalapeno in question is a pickle with a strange angle   But there's a decent amount of pepper and chili to provide some mild heat. Spices are paprika, allspice, cinnamon, bay leaves, a bit of anise and cumin. Lots of onions, some date molasses or plum preserves, a bit of tomato paste, nutritional yeast and a bit of soy sauce to provide some extra umami.

It's a pretty easy dish to make, caramelizing the onion is the majority of the work.

[Anna N]

On 1/26/2021 at 2:05 PM, shain said:

Ever had choulent/hamin?

You know how much I usually admire almost everything you make so I think I can say what I think about this dish without offending you. Except for a few ingredients it seems to be a dish designed to take away even the hint of an appetite for me. It is as if somebody had gone around and collected all the things I dislike the most and put them into one dish! Even the name causes me grief being as close as it is to the word choking.😂

 

I am glad to know it only appears on your table a couple of times a year!  Were I ever to visit I would make certain it was not during the winter time. 

 

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

1 hour ago, shain said:

 

My beans of choice are kidney, extra large chickpeas and lima beans (aka gigante) - I like those large enough to stand on their own. The middle is frozen tofu or seitan (I'm not sure what I used last year) and mushrooms. The former are great at absorbing flavors and juices, and have a pleasant tender texture after stewing overnight. The mushrooms provide flavor and also retain a nice bite.

I cook the wheat/barley in a separate pot, so that it won't glue everything together. Beans go to one side of the pot, mushrooms and go to the other half. Eggs, potatoes and other root vegetables go on top - kohlrabi is great, carrots, turnips and sweet potatoes are also good options.

I think the jalapeno in question is a pickle with a strange angle   But there's a decent amount of pepper and chili to provide some mild heat. Spices are paprika, allspice, cinnamon, bay leaves, a bit of anise and cumin. Lots of onions, some date molasses or plum preserves, a bit of tomato paste, nutritional yeast and a bit of soy sauce to provide some extra umami.

It's a pretty easy dish to make, caramelizing the onion is the majority of the work.

 

40 minutes ago, Anna N said:

You know how much I usually admire almost everything you make so I think I can say what I think about this dish without offending you. Except for a few ingredients it seems to be a dish designed to take away even the hint of an appetite for me. It is as if somebody had gone around and collected all the things I dislike the most and put them into one dish! Even the name causes me grief being as close as it is to the word choking.😂

 

I am glad to know it only appears on your table a couple of times a year!  Were I ever to visit I would make certain it was not during the winter time. 

 

 

I love our different taste palates!   Cholent does remind me of cassoulet which I adore but of course as a once a season or Dordogne visit, not daily fare.    Many thanks.

[shain]

7 hours ago, Anna N said:

You know how much I usually admire almost everything you make so I think I can say what I think about this dish without offending you. Except for a few ingredients it seems to be a dish designed to take away even the hint of an appetite for me. It is as if somebody had gone around and collected all the things I dislike the most and put them into one dish! Even the name causes me grief being as close as it is to the word choking.😂

 

I am glad to know it only appears on your table a couple of times a year!  Were I ever to visit I would make certain it was not during the winter time. 

 

 

 

Is expect my love of legumes and eggplants would have stirred you away from many of the things make 😛

But cholent is definitely a dish that one learns to love. Many of the Ashkenazi jewish cuisine most loved dishes are quite peculiar - gefilte fish, minced liver etc. Most of them I'd be hard pressed to have even if I wasn't vegetarian.

But cholent managed to get to me. It's strongly associated with cold winter mornings, where we'd wake up to the smell of it, then sit together for early lunch. We didn't usually sit together to eat when I was young. I was a picky kid, but I'd have eggs and potatoes, maybe some beans, I barely ate meat back then either, definitely not with that look to it

[shain]

6 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

 

I love our different taste palates!   Cholent does remind me of cassoulet which I adore but of course as a once a season or Dordogne visit, not daily fare.    Many thanks.

 

Many people in Israel have it almost weekly during winter. Observant jews in particular, due to it being Shabbat friendly. But we need variation in our meals, and I rarely make it more than once or twice a year. This is true for most dishes, but I'm sure cholent will be quite tiresome if made often. I rather it keep its alure as a special meal.

[shain]

Details here: https://forums.egullet.org/topic/161954-dinner-2021/?do=findComment&comment=2286798

 

[shain]

I included sunchokes this time, which are incredible after cooking all night; also potatoes and beetroot. A separate pot of groats, with allspice and a hint of cinnamon.

I make one vegetarian, but the common preparation would include various kinds of stewing meat.