World Recipes

Cholent

Cholent is a traditional Shabbat dish, because it is designed to be cooked very slowly. It can be started before Shabbat and is ready to eat for lunch the next day.

2 pounds fatty meat (brisket or stewing beef)
2 cups dry beans (navy beans, great northern
    beans, pintos or limas).
1 cup barley
6 medium potatoes
2 medium onions
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons oil
Garlic, pepper and paprika to taste
Water to cover

Soak the beans and barley until they are thoroughly softened. Sprinkle the flour and spices on the meat and brown it lightly in the oil.

Cut the potatoes into large chunks. Slice the onions. Put everything into a Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil on the stove top, then put in the oven at 250 degrees F before Shabbat begins.

Check it in the morning, to make sure there is enough water to keep it from burning but not enough to make it soggy. Other than that, leave it alone. By lunch time Shabbat afternoon, it is ready to eat.

This also works very well in a crockpot on the low setting, but be careful not to put in too much water.

Chocolate Almond Passover Cake

1 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted,
    plus additional for garnish*
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
5 eggs, separated
1/3 teaspoon salt
Apple slices
Honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease bottom of a 10-inch tube pan.

Place toasted almonds and 1 tablespoon sugar in the bowl of food processor. Process to a fine grind and set aside.

Melt the butter, stir in the cocoa and cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar until pale yellow. Add cocoa mixture and salt; mix well. Add ground almonds.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add about a quarter of the egg whites to chocolate mixture and stir to blend. Gradually fold in remaining egg whites.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes or until set.

Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Unmold and remove bottom. Cool completely.

When ready to serve, decorate with apple slices and almonds and drizzle with honey.

Serves 12.

* To toast nuts, spread on baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for 5 to 8 minutes or until brown. Cool completely.

Jewish Penicillin

1 (3 to 4 pound) kosher chicken, cut into eighths
3 scraped carrots, cut into thirds
1 whole medium onion
2 stalks celery (optional)
1/2 bunch fresh dill (do NOT use dried dill weed)

Clean chicken and put into a Dutch oven. Cover with water up to 1/8th from the top of the pot. Add carrots, onion and celery. Start cooking over high heat until water starts to boil, then lower flame to between medium and simmer. Cook uncovered for 50 minutes.

Add fresh washed dill (including the stalks), and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Remove dill and throw away.

You can serve the soup with matzo balls following the directions on the box of matzo meal.

Banana Pudding

2 large tart apples, grated unpeeled
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup matzo meal
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large bananas (for topping)
3 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Dash of grated lemon rind

Combine grated apple and lemon juice. Beat sugar and egg yolks until creamy and add by stirring in quickly and alternately with matzo meal to which spices have been added.

Grease a pudding dish and turn in this mixture. Bake at 325 degrees F approximately 35 minutes, or until set.

Turn out on serving plate and top with sliced bananas. Beat egg whites with salt and sugar until thick and spread on top just before serving.

This may be eaten cold without topping of bananas and beaten egg white meringue. A dusting of sugar and cinnamon may substitute for egg topping.

Serves 6.

Melfoof

This is a wonderful recipe for Purim.

3 cups almonds
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons rose water or orange blossom water
1 package filo pastry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grind the almonds and mix together with remaining ingredients. The mixture should be moist.

Cut the filo into 3 parts and cover with a damp towel. Take one piece of filo and fold it about 2 inches from the bottom up. Insert a pencil in the fold. Put one tablespoon of the mixture above the pencil and roll. Push the 2 sides to the middle and slide the pencil out. Bake for 10 minutes, until light golden in color.

Hamentashen

4 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup corn oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Grated rind of 1 orange
5 cups sifted flour
Lekvar or apple butter

Combine slightly beaten eggs corn oil sugar and orange rind. Beat until mixture is fluffy and thick. Gently stir in flour. Chill about 1 1/2 hours or until firm.

Divide dough into quarters. Roll out each on floured board or cloth to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2- or 3-inch circles and place on greased cookie sheet. Spoon 1 tablespoon Lekvar or apple butter into center of each. Form tri-corners bringing up edges of dough almost to center and making three seams (some filling should show in center). Pinch seams together tightly. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.