Slow Cooking Saves Time and Money
Every culture has its Sunday Dinner. It was or is, the special meal that mom or grandma made on Sunday that was usually eaten after church services. The French, and in my experience, the Belgians have traditionally eaten stuffed chicken, the Germans, pork and sauerkraut. The Italians, both here and in Italy, eat spaghetti at mammas. In the southern U.S., fried chicken graces the table, and in the north a roast with potatoes. For the Jewish population it’s this recipe, the Cholent that made the Sabbath special.
The Cholent is what is known as a “Sabbath Stew”. Labor of any kind, on the Sabbath, is forbidden, not lighting a fire, or transporting any goods, not sewing or writing. So the problem of how to have warm food upon return from Saturday services is solved by slow cooking. The ingredients were assembled before sundown and placed into the fire tightly sealed in a special pot and allowed to cook overnight. If you lived in New York City, in the early 1800s you sent your son and the pot, to the local baker who would charge a nickel to allow the family to place the pot in the cooling bake ovens overnight and retrieve it at noon on Saturday.
True to any culture or religion as diverse as the Jewish one, Cholent is known by many names and has many variations. It’s also called chamim, adafina, dafina, and others. It can contain chickpeas, sweet or white potatoes, a variety of beans or whole eggs. The meat is almost always beef, but lamb is sometimes used. Spices vary widely as there are Jewish populations all over the world. I found Indian versions of Cholent spiced with saffron, cumin, nutmeg and cayenne. There are Moroccan versions and many American versions reminiscent of the many waves of Jewish Immigrants that have arrived in the U.S. over the last 200 years.
So, the recipe I have given you is a template. Add some potatoes, if you love them, more or less onion. No onion is not really okay with me, but hey, you’re eating it. Just make sure to use enough seasoning, and you’ll have a great meal. The brisket is an inexpensive cut of meat and very good cooked this way, filling, and satisfying. This is a great meal for any day of the week.