Monday, May 14, 2007

Cholent Checklist

Every time I make cholent, it seems when I wake up the next morning to smell that delicious smell, I'm also struck by a "D'oh!" feeling as I remember failing to add some ingredient I wanted to include. Of course the beauty of cholent is that it's wildly open to variations. No two of my cholents come out alike. But with practice, they have gotten consistently better. And so, rather than a recipe, I conclude this blog with a checklist of required and optional ingredients. I plan to return to tweak the format a bit. And I will happily post your comments. Happy Cholenting!
 
Required Ingredients
  • One teaspoon of jam*
  • Some form of beans: kidney beans, chick peas, white beans or a mixture
  • Rice or barley
  • Spices: which ones? NOT salt. Paprica, a dash of cinnamon... pepper, Chinese 5 spice works wonders.
 
Optional Ingredients
  • Potatoes. Washed, cut into walnut-sized chunks.
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Prunes
  • Eggs. Whole. Put them uncooked on top of everything else.
  • Meat. Browned.**
  • Onions.
  • Garlic
  • Kishkes
  • Stuffed eggplants for hamin (see recipe)
*Not sugar, not catsup. Jam. Any kind. Just a teaspoonful. No idea why, but it works.
** Highly recommended. Even as a long-term vegetarian, I have to admit the meat makes a difference. A huge time saver is to create what my mother invented as "cholent active packs". Buy a bunch of meat, brown it with onions and freeze in separate packs. When Friday comes, just take out a pack (no need to defrost) and add all the other ingredients.
 

A wrap

It's about a year since I started this blog. The war is mercifully over.
"Cholent" is fully cooked and then some. Now we call her "pitzkele Oyfele" - little chicken in Yiddish.
And we're getting ready to start our next life's adventure.
So I'm going to wrap up this blog.
If you're interested in joining us for the next chapter, check out my new blog: www.neualtland.blogspot.com.
And I'm going to leave you with something useful and delicious in my final post.
Keep cooking!
Love,
me

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Furnished Apartment to rent in Haifa - great for visiting academic!

We're going abroad for 5 years and so our apt. is available. Please forward freely..

Clean, comfortable apartment in the heart of Mount Carmel's Ahuza neighborhood. $750/month

Perfect for visiting couple or small family!

2.5 bedrooms, 2 American-style baths (one with shower, one with giant bathtub). Fully-firnished. Central heating & air conditioning. Quiet, yet centrally-located Ahuza location (Moria Ave.) within short walk of all conveniences: shops, cafes, public transportation. Modern kitchen with all appliances (dishwasher, oven, stove, microwave, toaster oven, soda maker, complete set of dishes and cookware). Each bedroom has a full-sized bed + linens, towels. American Maytag washer and dryer. Available July 30, 2007 for up to 5 years. Private parking for one car.

Photos http://www.ahuva.phanfare.com/album/239063

Non-smoking long-term renters prefered.

Details, questions please respond to this post.