Pascale's Kitchen: Cholent, Part III

Over the past two weeks, I’ve introduced cholent recipes hailing from the lands of Ashkenaz, Morocco and Tripoli, and also included a special recipe for the vegan readers among us.

FEBRUARY 25, 2020 11:58

Hamin Con Todos (photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN) — Hamin Con Todos

(photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)

Over the past two weeks, I’ve introduced cholent recipes hailing from the lands of Ashkenaz, Morocco and Tripoli, and also included a special recipe for the vegan readers among us. This week’s third installment of winter Shabbat recipes includes recipes from Sephardic and Iraqi cuisine.

This rich cholent, which hails from Jerusalem Sephardic cuisine, involves stuffing vegetables and intestines with a meat mixture. First, the base is prepared, and then the extras are added.

Makes 8 to10 servings.

Base:

4 Tbsp. oil

3 onions, chopped coarsely

3 cups white beans

Salt, to taste

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. sweet paprika

½ kilo beef (flat ribs)

2 to 3 beef bones (leg or marrow)

8 to 10 eggs

Water, to cover

8 to 10 potatoes, halved or whole

Heat the oil in an extremely large pot. Add the onion and sauté. Add the white beans, salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir well.

Add the meat, bones and eggs. Pour in water to cover. Turn up the flame and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and bring to boil again.

After it starts boiling again, arrange the stuffed zucchini, cloth bag with rice, and the stuffed intestines inside the pot. Jostle the pot a little so that the liquid covers all of the ingredients. (You can add up to two more cups of water if necessary to cover contents.) Cover and bring to a boil. Transfer pot to electric Shabbat plata or place in the oven and leave to cook all night.

Three options:

1. Bolsa de arroz (bag of rice)

2 cups rice

200 g. fatty beef, cut into small pieces

2 Tbsp. oil

¼ cup water

Mix all the ingredients together and tie cloth bag tightly.

2. Pacha Inchadas

(stuffed intestines)

2 pieces of 50 cm.-long cleaned intestines (can be separated into four pieces)

Juice from 1 lemon or 1 cup of vinegar

Filling:

2 cups rice

½ kg. beef, chopped coarsely

1 level tsp. salt

1 level tsp. coarsely ground pepper

¼ tsp. Baharat

Oil for frying

Clean the intestines (or ask the butcher to prepare the intestines for stuffing).

To prepare the stuffing, mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and then stuff it into the intestine. Tie off each end. Puncture the intestine in a number of places with a fork.

Place the intestine in a large bowl and pour boiling water on top of it. Then dry it well and fry it for a few minutes. Remove and place on paper towels.

3. Inchadas Fritas

(stuffed and fried zucchini)

8 to 10 small light green zucchini

Filling:

2 cups rice, rinsed well

¼ kg. beef, chopped coarsely

Salt and pepper, to taste

¼ tsp. Baharat

Pinch of cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

Oil for frying

Peel and clean the zucchini. Using a melon baller, remove “meat” of zucchini. Chop up insides and place in a bowl with the rice. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Press the filling tightly into the hollowed-out zucchini. Fry in hot oil on both sides.

Level of difficulty: Difficult.

Time: 2.5 hours.

Status: Meat.

Tebit (Iraqi chicken cholent)

This unique recipe calls for a whole chicken that is stuffed with rice and cooked all night long.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

1 whole chicken (1½ kg.)

Filling:

4 Tbsp.. oil

1 large onion, chopped finely

½ to ¾ cup rice, rinsed well

1 tsp.. Baharat

½ tsp.. salt

¼ tsp. ground allspice

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. sweet paprika

½ tsp. dried mint, ground

Chicken giblits (gizzard, heart, liver), cut into small pieces

1 small tomato

1 egg, beaten

Cholent:

¼ cup oil

3 medium onions, cut into pieces

1 cup rice, soaked overnight and drained

½ tsp. Baharat

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

4 medium carrots, sliced

1 light green zucchini, sliced

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces

4-5 cups water

Eggs (1 per guest)

Clean the chicken well. Close off the neck opening, but leave the other end open.

To prepare the filling, heat oil in a heavy pan and sauté the onion and rice. Add the Baharat, salt, allspice, pepper, cinnamon, paprika and mint. Stir. Add the chicken giblits, tomato and beaten egg. Remove pan from heat and stir.

Stuff the chicken and sew opening closed.

To prepare the cholent, heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and stuffed chicken. Fry for a few minutes.

Add the salt, pepper, Baharat, tomato paste, carrot, zucchini and potatoes. Stir well and add the rice and fried onion.

Pour the water in and bring to a boil. Add the eggs and continue cooking over a low flame all night long. Check every so often to make sure there’s enough liquid. You can add up to ½ or 1 cup more of water if necessary.

Level of difficulty: Medium.

Time: 90 minutes.

Status: Meat.

Translated by Hannah Hochner.

Learn more about Pascale's Kitchen here.