Shared by Hagit Bilia
Shared by Hagit Bilia
Cholent with Chickpeas
Yield: 6-8 servingsTime: 1 hour and 30 minutes, plus overnight soaking and cooking
Cholent with Chickpeas
Yield: 6-8 servingsTime: 1 hour and 30 minutes, plus overnight soaking and cookingFamily Journey
Germany and MoroccoHaifa
Tel Aviv
There are endless riffs on Ashkenazi cholent and Sephardi hamin, the two most common overnight Shabbat stews. Both where created to allow Jewish families to enjoy a hot lunch on Saturdays while still following the laws of Shabbat, which prohibit cooking. This cholent recipe from Israeli food blogger Hagit Bilia (who goes by the moniker Liza Panelim) is her own creation, but draws inspiration from both sides of her family. The chickpeas are a nod to her Moroccan grandmother Sul, while dumplings made from potatoes and flour called kigelach are from her Russian aunt Pola.
Hagit worked hard to perfect the recipe, but over time, she says, she’s learned that she can be a bit more relaxed when she makes it, knowing that after 12 hours in the oven, the dish will taste right, no matter what.
Cooking note: This recipe is made over the course of a couple of days. If you plan to serve it at Shabbat lunch, start soaking your beans on Thursday evening and assemble the dish on Friday afternoon.
Read more about Hagit's family in "A Classic Chicken Soup For Every Season" and try her recipes for meatballs with onion "jam" and chicken noodle soup.
Ingredients
For the kigelach:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 yellow onions, finely chopped
- 1 russet potato, peeled, boiled and finely mashed
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 6-8 whole eggs
- 6 yukon gold potatoes, cut in half
For the cholent:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, unpeeled and quartered
- 2 cups dried barley
- 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 1 cup dried white beans (cannellini or navy beans), soaked overnight
- 2 beef marrow bones
- 1 veal osso buco bone (or 1 more beef marrow bone)
- 3 pounds bone-in beef shank or flanken (shoulder) cut into 2-inch sections
- 2 chicken legs or 1 bone-in skin on turkey leg quarters
- 6 Yukon gold potatoes, cut in half
- 6-8 whole eggs
- 1 head of garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon silan (date syrup) or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup water, plus more
Preparation
Step 1
Make the kigelach: Heat up the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the onions into a heatproof bowl and let them cool for about 5 minutes. Add the mashed potato, 2 cups of whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and two beaten eggs. Mix very well with a wooden spoon until combined. Shape the mixture into a round ball. Set aside.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 220F.
Step 3
In a large Dutch oven or stainless steel pot, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and sauté the onion on the bottom. Arrange the barley, chickpeas, and white beans in a single layer, each in its own section. Layer the marrow bones, ossobuco, beef, and chicken on top of the grains and beans. Add the potatoes, eggs, and garlic, then place the kigelach on top of the potato-and-egg layer.
Step 4
Make the sauce: Add the ketchup, soy sauce, silan or brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and ¼ cup of water into a large bowl, and stir until combined. Pour the sauce into the pot with the cholent components. Add enough water to cover all the ingredients in the pot.
Step 5
Bring cholent to a boil over high heat, skimming any scum that rises to the top. Place a lid on the pot and transfer into the oven. Cook for 8 hours or overnight. Check the pot occasionally, adding additional water as needed so the cholent doesn't dry out. Serve hot.
Leftover cholent can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
