Cholent

On the Jewish sabbath, it is not permitted to create or adjust a fire. This has been extended to all heat sources, making it essential to create foods that can keep cooking all through the sabbath day. Cholent is a sabbath stew so tightly bound to the old-world weekly sabbath rituals that one might reasonably call it a ritual of its own. My version uses a hell of a lot more onions than would typically be found because, hey, onions are fantastic.

Since you are blasting the meat for so incredibly long, it's especially important to use a rich, marbled cut that won't dry out as you cook it. With beef, I prefer flanken (also known as 'boneless short ribs'), but you could also use brisket. Lamb would work very nicely!

Based on impressions from this beautiful essay on cholent.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 medium Spanish onions (about 1.5 - 2 lbs), sliced
  
• 10 oz. Crimini or Baby Bella mushrooms, scrubbed and sliced
• 4-6 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
  
• 1 1/4 cup dry beans (any), rinsed and soaked overnight
• 3/4 cup pearl barley
• 1 1/2 lbs. red bliss potatoes, skin on, cut into large chunks
• 3-4 carrots, washed and cut into large chunks
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 lbs. beef brisket or flanken (boneless short rib)
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. paprika
• Salt and pepper
• Several whole raw eggs (optional), rinsed
  
• Olive oil for sautéing
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil and allow to warm.
2. Add the onions and mushrooms along with the sugar. Sauté, turning frequently with a spatula, until beginning to caramelize: about 25-30 minutes.
3. Add the whole garlic cloves and continue to sauté about 5 minutes more. (The garlic will still be white.)
4. In a crockpot, thoroughly combine the caramelized vegetables, the beans, barley, carrots, potatoes and paprika.
   
5. Bury the beef in this mixture.
6. If you have room in the crockpot, bury some eggs in the mixture at this point as well. The egg white will turn an incredible caramel color.
7. Cook in the crock pot on low for a minimum of 8 hours, and as many as 18.

Serve at any time after the first 8 hours. Since you can't shut off the heat on shabbos, it's not uncommon to see people start eating the cholent after 8 or 12 hours, and then again several hours later.

PAIRINGS: I know that beef and beans and barley all fairly scream out 'red wine' (or dark beer), but I find that the entire dish has a sufficiently dark and brooding character that I really crave something a little bit sweet and fruity. Sweet white wines like Gewürztraminer and Riesling come easily to mind, or even a tawny port. A hard cider would also do the job.

Traditionally, people drink hard liquor (often scotch and vodka) on shabbos, although I've never been too crazy for that.

Banana Spice Griddle Cakes

These are really cakes that are made in a pan, so calling them 'pancakes' doesn't get the point across. They puff up in excess of one inch apiece, and have a velvety cake texture. Made one fine shabbos morning when I discovered I had forgotten to plug in the slow cooker.

The trick to getting them to come out perfectly without raw centers is to begin flipping them over as soon as you can, and then to keep flipping them for several minutes. This might take some practice.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 1/4 cup evaporated milk (nonfat is fine)
  
• 3 tsp. baking powder
  
• 1 extra large egg, beaten
  
• 3 tbsp. butter, plus more for frying
  
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 cup walnut halves
  
• 2 large, not-quite-ripe bananas, mashed
  
• Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, evaporated milk and beaten egg.
   
2. In a skillet, melt 3 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat.
3. To the skillet, add the bananas, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cook for several minutes to blend.
4. Add the banana mixture and nuts to the batter and mix thoroughly.
5. Clean the skillet and heat to medium.
6. Butter the skillet when it is completely hot.
7. To the buttered skillet, add dollops of batter to meet your preferred size. (The cakes won't spread much.)
8. As soon as it is possible to do so (Maybe 30-60 seconds), begin to flip over the cakes. Flip them over every 30 seconds or so. They will be done after several minutes. (This depends on the heat of your stove, so try one and check to see how long it takes.)

Serve immediately.

Chopped herring salad with pears

This is a slight variation on an Ashkenazi weekend morning standard. Serve this on a bagel with sliced red onion, sliced hard boiled egg and a few capers.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup pickled herring in wine sauce, drained
• 1 firm pear (such as Bosc, Concorde or Asian), peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• Several pecans or walnuts
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Puree all ingredients in a food processor.

Olive and pecan tapenade

I have been taking a cooking class with Rafael Pereira, a very talented historian of Spanish and Latin-American cuisine, and one of his recipes (for olive pate) inspired me to create this recipe. In my opinion, this is best served with a dark, nutty bread or cracker, such as ak-mak crackers or whole-kernel pumpernickel bread.

You'll want to stay away from truly cheap-o, canned olives, but the simple olives you get in a jar are probably fine. Prepared with appropriate ingredients, this recipe is kosher (parve).

Serve with a fiery red wine such as a Rioja. It will bring out some of the subtler oils in the tapenade and expose qualities you never would have guessed were there.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 oz. green olives, pits removed
• 1 tin (2 oz) flat filets of anchovies, with oil
• 2 oz. pecans
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. dry thyme
• pinch of cumin

DIRECTIONS:

Puree all ingredients in a food processor.

Kasha (Roasted buckwheat)

Kasha is a traditional preparation of buckwheat groats prepared in stock with mushrooms, onions and (sometimes) meat. I love kasha. I think the better the broth you use, the deeper the flavor is, and also the nutrients.

I love to cook a meat or dark poultry to go into the kasha. I make a really strong broth first. I make either a beef broth or a chicken broth. Then, the next day, or later that day, brown the meat you want to use: like flanken or chuck or turkey thighs or whatever you use, and then simmer it (poach) in the broth (strained) for a few hours till it is falling apart and wonderful. Strain the broth again (if necessary) . This recipe uses 4 cups. Put it aside for the kasha. It has to be BOILING
only at the point when you add it to the pan with the vegetables and the egg/kasha mixture.Cut the meat up and keep warm and save to add to the kasha in the end.

Kasha Varniskes is kasha with bow-tie noodles. I cook two cups dry noodles and drain and keep to add at the end with the meat.

NOTE (4/18/09): Do not wash the groats, or else they will absorb some of that water while cooking with the eggs and end up soggy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups kasha (medium or coarse granulation)
• 2 cups dry bow tie noodles, cooked and drained
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 4 cups broth, hot

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saute or frying pan with a cover, cook the onions and mushrooms in oil until they are very soft and fully cooked, and smell great. You can add salt and pepper to them.
2. Keep this mixture warm until you are ready to add the hot kasha/egg mixture and the boiling broth to it.
3. KASHA : Beat 2 large eggs in a bowl. Add 2 cups dry kasha and use a fork to stir together until the kasha groats are all coated with egg.
4. Into another HOT (NON STICK )skillet ( yes, there are a lot of pots and pans and bowls for this ) toss the coated kasha groats. Cook over high heat 2-3 minutes,stirring,until the egg has dried on the kasha , the groats are separate and hot to the back of your finger.
5. Now, make sure that the broth is boiling, or get it boiling. ( Don't let it sit there boiling because you will lose some and there will be less than 4 cups).
6. Add the kasha/egg mixture to the frying pan with the mushrooms and onions (which you have thoughtfully heated up again) . Pour in the hot broth. Let it come back to a little boil, and then cover and turn down the heat and simmer for 7-10 minutes until the kasha groats are tender and the liquid is absorbed. It may take a longer time depending upon the richness of the broth.
7. Add the meat , if using, and the noodles. Season.

Serve warm; very good left over.

Candied citrus fruits / Citrus syrup

This is a two-fer kind of recipe. After you've done it, you've got two wonderful things: candied citrus fruits, and citrus syrup.

Add water or seltzer to the syrup (along with lemon juice if you want it tart) and you've got a delicious beverage, iced or hot. For a beautiful mojito, mix it with seltzer, lemon juice, rum and fresh mint. Pour hot over ice cream. The possibilities are endless. If you want to get fancy, you could throw a little mint or ginger in with the fruit while they're cooking, which will further improve the syrup.

A lot of people use candied oranges or lemons as the base of a more complex candy, but I think they're fine just like this. Muchas gracias to this orange candy recipe, which showed me that you really need an unbelievable amount of sugar for this to work.

If you're new to cooking and don't know what kinds of pots to use: for things that get very hot, such as frying oil or candy, you really want to stay away from nonstick and aluminum in favor of a non-reactive, heat-tolerant metal pan such as stainless steel or (if you can afford it), copper.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 lbs. oranges, lemons, limes or grapefruit
• 5 cups granulated sugar (divided use)
• 2 cups water
• Dash of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice the citrus fruits in half through the axis with the stems. (That is, if you had a navel orange, you'd be cutting the navel in half on one end, and the green stem at the other end.) Slice the halves into 1/4" thick slices, leaving the peel intact.
   
2. In a deep, non-reactive skillet or a saucepan, add the water, salt and 3 cups of sugar and combine.
3. Bring to a boil (warning: this will be much hotter than 212˚ F!).
4. Add fruit with a slotted spoon and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, occasionally pushing down pieces that are on top.
5. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to cool.
6. Transfer the fruit to a cookie rack to dry.(You probably want to put something under that cookie rack.) Don't put them on top of each other or they'll stick!
7. Strain the syrup through a fine strainer into a glass jar. The syrup will be very thick and have an intense, mildly bitter taste (like fresh marmalade).
8. Allow the fruit to dry for 24 hours or more.
   
9. Dredge the fruit in sugar.
10. If you have time, you could let them dry for another day; otherwise, they're ready to serve.
    

The candy will keep reasonably well in an airtight container. Arrange the fruit in layers, separated by wax paper, so they won't stick together. Enjoy!

Vegetable Borscht

Vegetable borscht is extremely versatile. For one thing, it is fat free and extremely healthful (assuming you don't have some kind of prejudice against carbohydrate). It is appropriate to serve it either hot or cold; if you're kosher, it can go with dairy or meat meals depending on what you like to put in it.

Traditionally, you put things into the borscht right as you're about to eat it, just like dressing a hamburger. And like hamburger, there are a million and one options and they all have their appeal. Here are some suggestions:

• Shredded red cabbage (easy either by hand or in a food processor)
• Sliced radishes
• A hard boiled egg
• Half a boiled potato
• Sour cream or cottage cheese

When I make borscht, I usually have several of these things on hand. Speaking of hands, the beets will turn your hands purple, so wear gloves if that sounds unattractive to you. (For me, it's a point of pride.)

Beets get much sweeter as they cook, and somewhat sweeter as the soup mellows, so take it easy with the sugar. The following proportions are all approximate, as I have never measured anything when making borscht, even the first time I made it. And neither should you.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 lbs beets, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Lots of dill, fresh or chopped
• Prepared horseradish (quantity depends on intensity, which varies greatly)
• Cold water (see below)

• Optional: 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine beets and onion in a soup pot.
   
2. Add the lemon juice and vinegar.
   
3. Fill up the pot with water until it's about 1-2" higher than the vegetables.
4. Add the remaining ingredients except cabbage (if using); bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to low heat and let simmer, covered, for about an hour or until the beets have softened.
6. If using cabbage, add it in and allow to cook until it has wilted somewhat.
   

Serve hot or cold.

PAIRINGS: Beets have a slippery, soft sweetness that pairs extremely well with acid. A structured, tart white wine such as a Muscadet or Chablis brings out some of the more delicate qualities of the beet.