Cholent Recipe

The word Cholent (from Eastern Yiddish טשאָלנט tsholnt) or shalet (from Western Yiddish שאלעט shalet) refers to a number of dishes from Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, which can be braised on a very low flame for many hours.
Their existence is due to the Jewish Sabbath laws, which do not allow a practicing Jew to light a fire on the Sabbath. However, an existing and covered fire may be used. Therefore, Jewish cooking incorporates a lot of dishes that can slowly braise from late Friday afternoon to noon on the Sabbath. There are many variations containing meat, potatoes, cereals, beans, or vegetables as well as combinations from dumplings and dried fruit. The word cholent is thought by some to be derived from the French words chaud 'hot' and lent 'slow', and by others to be derived from the Latin calientem — a term documented with this exact meaning in the Spanish form caliente in the Late Middle Ages.

The historic origin of cholent is the Mishnaic חַמִּין. Similar dishes exist in many Sephardi groups. The most known of these dishes is probably the Iberian and Moroccan Sephardi dish.


INGREDIENTS:

• 3 onions, quartered
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 pounds chuck roast , cut into large chunks
• 1 cup dry kidney beans
• 1 cup dried pinto beans
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 5 large potatoes, peeled and cut into thirds
• boiling water to cover
• 2 (1 ounce) packages dry onion and mushroom soup mix
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

• In a large oven safe pot or roasting pan, saute onions in oil over medium heat.
• Add meat, and brown well on all sides.
• Mix in beans; stir continuously until the beans start to shrivel. Stir in the barley. Add potatoes, and add just enough boiling water to cover the meat and potatoes.
• Mix in dry soup mix and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes on stove top.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Cover pot tightly, and place in preheated oven. Allow to cook overnight for at least 10 to 15 hours.
• Check periodically to make sure you have enough liquid to cover; add small amounts of water if needed. Do not stir; stirring will break up the chunks of potatoes.

Bon Appétit!