A COUPLE GREAT RECIPES


Sukkot is the perfect holiday to inaugurate the beginning of the cholent season, a hearty Jewish stew that sticks to your ribs and takes the chill off a cool autumn evening. Cholent comes in many variations depending on the area of the world your ancestors hail from and whether or not you are a vegetarian. A simple version is included here. If you are a real cholent fan, you’ll love Kay Pomerantz’s book, The Complete Book of Cholent.

Classic European Cholent (serves 8)
1/2 lb dried lima beans
3 T safflower oil
2 lg onions, quartered
6 lg potatoes, peeled & quartered
1 beef marrow bone
Salt
2 cups dry red wine
1 t paprika
3 lbs brisket, short ribs, lamb shanks or stew meat
1 whole head of garlic, separated & unpeeled
Chicken broth or water enough to cover

In large bowl, soak lima beans in cold water until soft (5-6 hours). Preheat oven to 375. In bottom of large heavy pot or Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid, heat oil and sauté onions until soft, (2-3 minutes). In layers, add drained lima beans, potatoes, marrow bone, meat and garlic cloves. Add salt, pepper and paprika. Add wine and enough broth or water to cover. Shake pot, return it to oven, lower heat to 225 degrees, and bake overnight or all day.
Note: if you prefer to add or substitute ingredients, give it a go! It’s hard to ruin a cholent.

Morgh v’Narangi (serves 8)
(Persian stewed chicken with tangerines)

2 onions, finely chopped 1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cut up chickens 1/2 t. Salt
Juice of 1 lemon 1/8 t. Pepper
1/8 t. ground saffron 2 cups water
6 medium carrots, peeled 1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 T. Flour
4 tangerines or 2 11-oz. cans mandarin orange segments

In large saucepan, saute onions in oil until golden. Add chicken, salt, lemon juice, pepper, saffron and water. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Cut carrots into julienne strips and add with marmalade to the chicken. Simmer until carrots are tender. Place 1/2 cup liquid from pan into a cup, add flour and blend. Return mixture to saucepan and continue to simmer until sauce is slightly thickened. Add peeled, sectioned, deseeded tangerines. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot with rice.