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23 DECEMBER 2021
New Grain Vegetarian Cholent.
Another delicious recipe from Denise Phillips For more recipes and inspiration visit my website: www.jewishcookery.com
Wheat, barley, oats, rice, corn, millet, quinoa and rye are just some of the grains available that can make your Shabbat cholent slightly different each week. Including a colourful combination of root vegetables will enhance the ‘brown’ appearance which is typical of the traditional cholent recipes. NB: The dried chickpeas need at least a few hours in advance to soak. You will also need the use of a slow cooker, an oven safe saucepan or Shabbat hot plate that is safe to leave on all night. Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 12 hours Serves: 8 Ingredients 150g dried chick peas 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 large red onions – peeled and sliced into large pieces 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds 1 tablespoons whole cumin seeds 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoon parev chicken/ vegetable stock ~ 150g green lentils 600g butternut squash – peeled and cut into large batons 200g quinoa – mixed red, black and white ~if possible 4 cloves garlic – skins left on 4 large tomatoes - cut in half 6 eggs in shell - washed Garnish: sprigs of parsle
Winter Comfort Foods BY DENISE PHILLIPS When it’s cold, wet and miserable, classic winter comfort foods are a good way to feel warm and a tasty way to boost one’s well-being and offset the negative impacts of stress, illness and fatigue. But not all of them are good for your health! Typical British comfort foods include pizza, fish & chips, sandwiches, burger & chips, roast dinners and pasta. Typical Jewish comfort foods vary depending on whether you have an Ashkenazi, Sephardi or Mizrachi background. Your geographical location and heritage will also be a factor as well as your childhood memories. Friday night dinners and Shabbat gatherings when families are together, food often becomes a focus and a ‘comfort.’ As an Ashkenazi Jewish chef, my comfort foods include chicken soup with kneidlach, roast chicken, kugel of all varieties, challah or bagel with smoked salmon or hummus, latkes, apple cake, crumble, chocolate challah pudding. When I visited my great aunt many years ago in New York, her Friday night dinner
featured pot roast and brisket with apple pie for dessert. Other Jewish comfort foods include cholent, barley soup and stews. All are tasty winter warming recipes. These dishes can tend to look very ‘brown’ and unappetising, so make sure that you add a good selection of vegetables, fresh herbs and spices to improve both the colour and the vitamin content, texture, and overall appearance. This week’s recipe features my vegetarian cholent. You can vary the grain with a choice of wheat, barley, oats, rice, corn, millet or quinoa. Add fresh parsley and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds as a final garnish to add colour and freshness. To make vegan just omit the eggs! And remember the words in Ethics of the Fathers ‘Rabbi Shimon would say, “for the three who eat at one table and speak words of Torah, it is as if they had eaten at G-d’s table” (Avot 3.3) Their eating is an act of unification, a revelation of creation and definitely a taste of comfort! Denise www.jewishcookery.com
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Method 1) Soak the beans in cold water for 5 – 8 hours, rinse several times and then drain. You may wish to use a variety or mix several kinds together. 2) Heat a large saucepan with vegetable oil. 3) Pan fry the onions, coriander, cumin and smoked paprika. 4) Transfer to an ovenware dish or crockpot. 5) Stir in the salt, lentils butternut squash, quinoa, garlic, tomatoes. 6) Add water to cover plus 1 litre. 7) Sit the eggs inside the mixture. 8) Cook tightly covered and bake at 130C for at least 12 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, dig out the eggs, shell them and slice in quarters. Garnish with sprigs of parsley to lift the final brown appearance.
