Joan Nathans Cholent Recipes

CHOLENT

Steps:

• Line the bottom of a slow cooker with the potatoes, the onion and then the short ribs, sprinkling the meat with pepper to taste.
• Scatter the barley and the beans on top, then pour on the broth and the honey or molasses. Sprinkle with the paprika and salt to taste. Add enough water to cover all the ingredients. Cook on low for 12 to 15 hours, stirring occasionally (except during Shabbat, for those who observe it), adding more water if necessary. The longer the cholent cooks, the better it will be.

BEST CHOLENT RECIPE EVER - JEWISH OVERNIGHT STEW IN A DUTCH OVEN

Steps:

• Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add a whole onion, turning it every minute or so so that a new part is browning. When it begins to brown, add your meat, and sear it. Turn off your flame once your meat has been browned.
• Peel 5 medium sized yellow waxy potatoes (such as Green Giant Klondike Goldust or Yukon Gold) and cut in half or leave them whole.
• Cover your potatoes with water. Turn your flame back on and while it's heating season your cholent, adding all the "seasoning" ingredients and giving it a stir. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook about half an hour or until your potatoes begin to soften but aren't falling apart.
• Add your barley. Add water if necessary to cover your barley, plus an inch, and let it simmer uncovered until the barley is cooked (about half an hour). Add water if needed as it cooks.
• Make sure you have a thin later of water covering your cholent, and that the meat is totally submerged. Set it on your Shabbat hot plate to cook overnight.

CHIEF OF STAFF CHOLENT (HEBRONITE HAMIM)

Steps:

• 1. On Thursday night, soak the white or red beans and chickpeas in cold water to cover.
• 2. On Friday morning, in a large heavy pot, sauté the onions in the vegetable oil until translucent. Then add the brown sugar and the water and carefully caramelize the onions over very low heat. Turn off the heat until the remaining ingredients are prepared.
• 3. Drain the beans and scatter them on top of the onions.
• 4. Cut the fat from the brisket, dice the fat, and set it aside. Rinse the rice in cold water and then drain; repeat twice more. Season the rice with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and dot with about 4 tablespoons of cubed beef fat. Place the rice in the center of a sheet of cheesecloth and enclose it loosely, so that the rice can expand. Tie with a thin strip of cheesecloth or twine and set aside.
• 5. Season the frika, bulgur, or barley with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper, dot with about 4 tablespoons of cubed beef fat, and put it in another piece of cheesecloth. Tie it up loosely.
• 6. Add the beef bones to the onions in the pot. Set the brisket on top, then the 2 bags of grains, the kishke, pearl onions, potatoes, and eggs. Sprinkle with additional salt to taste, pepper, baharat, and soup powder. Add water to cover, cover the pot, and ring to a boil. Then transfer to a preheated 200-degree oven to cook overnight or put the pot on a blech (a heated asbestos pad which many Jewish cooks use to keep Sabbath dishes warm) over low heat and leave until ready to serve.
• Joan Nathan shares her tips with Epicurious:
• •For this dish, Nathan prefers the texture and flavor of dried chickpeas and beans to canned. •Baharat, an Eastern Mediterranean spice blend, generally includes paprika, hot pepper, black pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and salt. It is available at Middle Eastern markets. If you can't find it, Nathan recommends using your favorites from the list above, being sure to include pepper. •"This dish can easily be made in a slow cooker," says Nathan. "Sauté the onions and place them in the cooker, then add the drained beans and other ingredients. Leave the dish to cook throughout the day or overnight."

JOAN NATHAN'S CHOLENT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. In a skillet saute chopped onions in oil until softened. Add meat and brown well.
• In an 8-quart casserole heat honey for a few minutes until lightly caramelized. Add rinsed, drained beans, barley, potatoes and the meat. Scatter garlic cloves around the meat. Dissolve salt, pepper and paprika in a cup of water and pour over meat. Add whole onion and bones. Add enough water to cover ingredients.
• Bring to a boil, cover with aluminum foil and lid and simmer 15 minutes. Transfer casserole to oven and cook overnight. The next morning, check casserole. If water still covers meat, uncover and cook until water evaporates to a thick sauce, about 2 hours. To serve, spoon onto a large platter, keeping each ingredient separate.