Moroccan Meat Cigars

Here I sit, less than 24 hours before Shabbos, remembering the wonderful meat cigars we had last week. They were crisp. They were perfectly seasoned. And, best of all, they were lovingly shaped and filled by my almost-twelve-year-old daughters.

Alas, it's not looking too good for us this week. The evening got off to a rocky start with a trip to the pediatrician (for an injury that happened three weeks ago: BAD MOMMY), followed by a long drawn out trip to the pharmacy, and a fit thrown by a not-so-eager-to-get-to-bed child in her terrible twos.

I headed to the kitchen for a cooking therapy session, only to find a broken oven. There went my hopes for rugelach, fruit crisp, and homemade challah.

But at least we have the memories. The fond memories.

And the photos.

Oh. And the recipe.

Moroccan Meat Cigars
makes about two dozen cigars

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced super fine
1 lb. chopped meat
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon allspice
dash of cayenne
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup water
salt, to taste
a package of filo dough
about 1/4 cup olive oil, for brushing

Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat, till golden. Be sure not to burn it.

Add the meat and cook for a few minutes, stirring, till the meat is browning. Add the spices, water and lemon juice. Cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time, till the meat is cooked through and no longer raw.

Uncover the pan and increase the heat a bit. Cook until all the excess liquid is gone, but be sure not to let the meat burn.

Cool the meat slightly and transfer it to a food processor. Pulse for a minute or two, till the meat is chopped fine, but NOT pureed into a paste. You want it to have some texture, but no chunks.

Now, preheat your oven to 350* and start assembling your cigars. Unroll the filo sheets and use a kitchen scissors to cut the stack of filo sheets into three stacks of rectangles. You'll have about 50 rectangles.  (My sheets were 13x18; I cut them into 13x6 rectangles.) NOTE: You'll only use about 1/2 the dough. Find another use for the rest.

Lay out one thin filo rectangle and brush it with olive oil. Place about a tablespoon of the filling onto the edge of ONE filo rectangle. Leave at least 1/2 inch around the edges.

Fold in the long sides so they come up over the meat filling just a bit.

Roll the filo - starting with the edge closest to the meat - to make a nice neat cigar. 

Brush the tops of the cigars with some more olive oil. 

Bake for about 25 minutes, till crispy and lightly browned. Serve fresh, or set aside for a few hours and reheat in a 325* oven for about 10 minutes. (I'm told that these freeze well but haven't tried it myself. 24 cigars was just the right amount for us hungry peeps.) 

For a vegetarian version, click here. (Use Google Translate to get the recipe in English!) 

Linking this up to Weekend Bloggy Reading and Real Food Digest. 

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Honey Wheat Challah

I do lots of experimenting in the kitchen and my family has learnt to put up with it. Earlier this year, I went on a mission to find a new chulent. They went right along with the experiment. I like to cook weird vegetables and have even gone so far as to create a meatball recipe with no meat or tomatoes. They've stuck with me through it all, and have even learned to like some new foods.

But there is one thing I hadn't dared to mess with. Challah. I have been making the same homemade challah for years. It's eggy. It's sweet. It is just right. 

Yeast. Look carefully and you'll see my reflection!

My kids have warned me. "Ma," they say. "Experiment with anything you like. But DON'T mess with the challah. Don't experiment with it. Don't change the recipe. And whatever you do, don't make it healthy." 

Well, folks, I went and did it. I made my challah with part whole wheat flour this week. And it came out really nice. A bit more dense and earthy than the all-white challah. A lovely, healthier version of our favorite Shabbos bread.


Honey Wheat Challah
Makes 6 large loaves; 5 hours prep time

4.5 tablespoons dry yeast (5 small packets)
3 1/4 cups water
6 eggs
11 cups white flour
8 cups whole wheat flour (or use one 2-lb. bag)1/2 cup sugar
1 cup honey
3/4 cup oil
3 tablespoons Kosher salt

Mix the yeast and water together in a large mixing bowl. Add a drop of honey. Let sit for about 5 minutes till it starts bubbling.

Add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. If you're using a mixer (I use a Bosch mixer which handles five pounds easily), mix for about five minutes until smooth. If you're kneading by hand, it'll take more like ten minutes (sorry!) but you'll get such satisfaction it'll all be worth it. 

Find a warm toasty spot (I use my bedroom!) and let the dough rise for 1-2 hours, till doubled. Take challah, with a blessing. Braid into six or seven loaves (I make mine with four strands of dough), lay the loaves on baking sheets, and then let rise for another hour. 

Prepare an egg wash using 2 eggs and about 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the loaves with egg. Preheat the oven to 350* and once it's hot, bake the challah for about 45 minutes until golden. Let the Challah cool completely on cooling racks before wrapping in bags and using or freezing.

See my post on Yeast Spotting.

Linking this up to KOAB Recipe Exchange and Real Food Digest.

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Super Crispy Fruit Crisp

There's an unspoken rule about homemade fruit crisps. Although everyone really wants more topping and less fruit, you just cannot succumb. You make the crisp as instructed, with just enough topping to cover the fruit.

When no one is looking, you might pick off a bit of the topping as you let the crisp cool on the counter (you are, after all, the maker of the crisp). When you help yourself to a piece, you might accidentally take a chunk of topping off the next person's slice.

But you would never make the crisp with extra topping, now, would you?

Well, just in case you would consider committing such a heinous crime, and just in case you don't have a very  clever  eight-year-old son (who has just finished learning fractions at school) to suggest that you make 1/3 more topping, I am providing a recipe here for a topping that will knock your socks off. It is crunchy. It is nutty. And it is plentiful. There will be lots to go around. You'll stop lurking around the kitchen when no one is looking, picking bits off the corners and sides. You'll stop yelling at your kids like a crazy person when you see them picking bits off the corners and sides. (Not that you would ever do those things, but I'm just saying.)

Super Crispy Fruit Crisp

This recipe makes enough topping for three crisps. I divide it in three parts, use one part immediately, and freeze the other two-thirds for another time. My current favorite combination of fruit is 3 granny smith apples, 2 pears, 2 peeled plums, and 1 cup frozen blueberries. But that'll change as the seasons do. In the summer, I can't get enough of fresh peach and blueberry crisp. Use whatever fruit you like. 

Fruit (enough for ONE crisp):

about 6 cups of your favorite fruit, pitted, peeled and sliced as necessary
2 tablespoons flour
juice of half a lemon
1-2 tablespoons sugar, optional, if the fruit is tart or if you like a sweeter crisp

Topping (enough for THREE crisps):

4 sticks margarine

4 cups brown sugar
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups flour
2 cups pecans, broken into small but not tiny pieces

Preheat the oven to 350*.

Combine the prepared fruit, lemon juice, flour and salt in a Pyrex pie plate. Mix well. (Here's my favorite on Amazon.)

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the margarine, brown sugar, oatmeal, flour and nuts. Crumble the mixture with your fingers to make a coarse crumb. (This is my favorite part. I love how the grainy sugar feels against my hands.) 

Divide the topping into three parts. Use one part now, and freeze two parts for later. (When you're ready to use a frozen batch, just defrost it enough to soften (maybe 1/2 hour on the counter) and then continue with the rest of this recipe just as you would with fresh topping.) 

Scatter the part you are using now evenly over the fruit. Bake for about an hour, till the top is beginning to brown.

Serve warm or cool completely before covering with foil and refrigerating for up to three days. If you are refrigerating it, bring it back to room temperature before serving.

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My Signature Chocolate Chip Cookies (a.k.a. Rum CCC's)

Every homemaker should have a signature chocolate chip cookie. A signature cookie defines you as a cook. As a homemaker. Perhaps even as a person.

Your signature cookie should be uniquely you. When your friends and family taste it, they should think happy thoughts about you.

I came across this recipe about five years ago in Marcel Desaulnier's Death by Chocolate Chip Cookies. The first time I made it, I knew I had found it. My signature cookie. Wow.

This cookie is dense and thick. None of that light crispy business. None of that chewy mushy business. (Please don't take this personally if you like your cookies light and crispy or chewy and mushy. I have nothing against you - not much, anyway - but I am Very Particular about my cookies.) It is positively LOADED with chocolate chips. And it has a wonderful boozy flavor. Again, Wow.

Rum CCC's  (from Death by Chocolate)
These are called "Mrs. D's Chocolate Chip Cookies" in the original recipe. In case you haven't figured it out yet, Rum CCC's stands for Rum Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I have made just a couple of small tweaks over the years. First, I use light brown sugar instead of dark. And, when time allows, I refrigerate the dough for a few hours before shaping and baking. 

4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound butter or margarine
2 cups brown sugar (I use light)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum
24 ounces chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 300*. Line two baking sheets with foil lightly sprayed with Pam, or with Silpat or parchment.

Place the margarine and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium for 4 minutes.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, rum and vanilla. Beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping halfway through if needed.

Add the baking soda and salt, and then the flour. Mix on low speed just till combined.

Add the chocolate chips and mix briefly, till combined. If time allows, refrigerate the dough for a few hours (or as long as overnight). Don't sweat it if you don't have time for this step. The original recipe omits it but I think it enhances the flavor of these cookies.

Use an ice cream scoop or tablespoon to make 24 mounds of batters, 12 on each tray. (Each mound should have about 2 tablespoons of dough.) You'll get 24 cookies.

Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through to ensure even baking. Cool on racks.

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Mission Chulent: Week 9

We're on the ninth week of our chulent (a.k.a. cholent) experiment (I'm trying a new recipe every week, as long as my friends keep providing!). This week's chulent was a concession to my son, Yaakov Yosef, who will eat as much marrow as I will allow him to. He spreads it on challah, sprinkles it lightly with salt, and savors every bite. (For the uninitiated, marrow has the texture and fattiness of butter, with a rich meaty flavor. Click here to read more about cooking with and eating bone marrow.) 

This chulent is a variation on my mother's meat chulent, but it's heavier and even more richly flavored than the original. Not for the faint of heart (or stomach), this chulent is just the thing for hungry kids and husbands who want a really rich Shabbos lunch experience. (Click here for the original, lighter version.) 

Here are links to all of the other recipes we've tried so far. 

• Rivki's Turkey Chulent, a light recipe featuring wheat berries and sweet potatoes
• Esther Shemtob's Hamin, a traditional Sephardic lamb dish with fantastic flavors
• Ayala Cohen's Meat Chulent, featuring frozen french fries and barbecue sauce
• Sarah Stampler's Meat Chulent, with cilantro and red wine
• My Mommy's Meat Chulent, a good basic recipe with cumin and chili powder for interest
• Argentinian Meat Chulent, with dried corn
• Vegetarian Chulent, with butternut squash
• Indian Style Chicken Chulent, with brown rice and lentils
• Indian Inspired Turkey Chulent, with chickpeas and wheat berries

Richest Meat Chulent
1/2 bag mixed chulent beans
1 cup pearl barley
3 Idaho potatoes, cubed
1-2 pounds of flanken
4-6 marrow bones
1 onion, chopped
15 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon hot paprika
2 teaspoons salt

Soak the beans overnight. Drain and combine with the remaining ingredients. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 24 hours if possible. Serve hot.

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Mission Chulent: Week 8

We're on the eighth week of our chulent (a.k.a. cholent) experiment (I'm trying a new recipe every week, as long as my friends keep providing!), and we've found a few favorites.  This week's recipe was my own concoction  based on the Indian Style Chulent I wrote about last week, and my Turkey Chulent. I thought it was terrific (the aromas certainly were), although my husband Avi wasn't a big fan of the cinnamon and allspice. Leave them out or reduce the quantity if you prefer. 

The recipe is below. I'm also including links here to all of the other recipes we've tried so far in case you want to try any others. 

• Rivki's Turkey Chulent, featuring chickpeas, wheat berries and sweet potatoes
• Esther Shemtob's Hamin, a traditional Sephardic lamb dish
• Ayala Cohen's Meat Chulent, featuring frozen french fries and barbecue sauce
• Sarah Stampler's Meat Chulent, with cilantro and red wine
• My Mommy's Meat Chulent, with cumin and chili powder
• Argentinian Meat Chulent, with dried corn
• Vegetarian Chulent, with butternut squash
• Indian Style Chicken Chulent, with brown rice and lentils

Indian Inspired Turkey Chulent

3 celery stalks, cut into a few pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped coarse
2 russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
1 cup wheat berries
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
2 turkey drumsticks, skin removed

Put everything into a nice large pot or crock pot, in the order listed. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 24 hours if possible. Serve hot.

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Mission Chulent: Week 7

It was a close call. I almost let you down this week. 58 minutes before Shabbos, I had ONE chulent (a.k.a. cholent) bubbling on the stove, and it was one which I blogged about three weeks ago. It was a busy week at work and home, and I just didn't get my act together to buy the ingredients for a new chulent.

Then I thought of you, my loyal followers, and the adrenaline kicked in. I pictured you rushing to my blog right after havdalah, eager to read my latest recipe and start shopping for next week's chulent. I imagined all those disappointed faces, devastated by my betrayal. I just couldn't let you down!

In high gear, I scrambled to think of a recipe that would cook up quickly and would use only ingredients I had in the pantry/fridge. I had come across a very non-traditional chulent recipe from thirschfeld on Food52.com. It had fast-cooking lentils instead of the usual beans, so I knew it had enough time to cook up before sundown. I thought I had most of the ingredients in the house, and with almost an hour till Shabbos, I figured I would throw it together.

I ended up improvising quite a bit. With [tick, tick, tick] 52 minutes left till Shabbos, I couldn't saute or caramelize or do anything at all fancy. To be perfectly frank here, I just threw everything in a pot, put it on a super high flame, and hoped for the best.

And guess what? It was GOOD. Fantastic rich flavors. Wonderful aromas. A real keeper. This one is making it to our favorites list, along with Esther Shemtob's Hamin and - but of course - my mother's meat chulent. The best part of all was that I made it less than an hour before Shabbos. This is a great backup recipe if you're ever running late putting up your chulent.

Indian Style Chulent with Lentils, inspired by thirschfeld's recipe
I made this chulent with chicken, as instructed in the original recipe, and it was FANTASTIC. But I think it would be wonderful with lamb or turkey instead. I'd like to try it vegetarian too. I suspect that the spicing will add enough interest to make up for the lack of meat. I would recommend making this chulent just a few hours before Shabbos. The lentils don't need a long cooking time like other chulent beans do. (You don't have to cut it as close as I did, though. I am still recovering....)


4 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
3 carrots, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 celery stalks, cleaned, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped coarse
2 russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup brown or black lentils (I used small black Beluga lentils and they really retained their shape)

1 cup brown rice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin 

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup dry white wine

Put everything into a nice large pot or crock pot, in the order listed. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 10 hours. Serve hot.

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Jachnun (Yemenite Pan Bread)

Jachnun dough, formed (probably incorrectly) in loaves

This Shabbos, I tried a new vegetarian chulent recipe. Since we were going to be having such a non-traditional meal, I decided to be adventurous and make Jachnun, a traditional Yemenite Jewish bread prepared from rolled dough which is baked on very low heat for about ten hours. The dough is rolled out thinly, brushed with margarine, and rolled up, similar to puff pastry.

Unfortunately, since I have never seen 'real' Jachnun, I am not sure I read the directions quite right. I think I shaped my loaves wrong! Although I don't think this affected the taste, if you do make this recipe (which I recommend every good Jew try at least once in a lifetime!), please DO NOT use my pictures as a guideline. Check out this post on Wikipedia, which has a really good photo. Or, just read my recipe below carefully and pay attention to the details.

When I took the Jachnun out of the oven on Shabbos morning, I must admit that they looked and smelled a little scary. They smelled a lot like burnt sugar and were a much deeper brown than I expected.

Jachnun rolls, shaped wrong, and looking just a little scary.
(Don't worry, I took this picture after Shabbos.
This is a HUGE recipe and we had LOTS left over.)

We were all very brave and tried some anyway, and (most of us) were glad we did! Even Baby Zipora asked for triples. This bread is unlike anything I've had before.The taste is extremely intense: somewhat earthy and unexpectedly sweet.  It's made up of lots of flaky layers, but at the same time is very rich and makes for a perfect counterpart to vegetarian chulent.

Would I make it again? I'm not sure. It was tasty but very heavy. A really dense, potent bread. I'm a stickler for light, sweet Challah. But I highly recommend you try it as a cultural experience. Plus, it makes for great conversation (and blog posts).

Jachnun (Yemenite Jewish Bread)
This recipe makes a lot of bread. You can try cutting it in half but it might get overdone with more surface area exposed. 


9 cups flour, divided
2 sticks margarine, divided, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt

In a stand mixer, combine 8 cups of flour with 1/2 stick margarine, 3 cups warm water, and the sugar and salt. Knead for about five minutes till soft. Let the dough rest for about 1/2 hour.

Put the dough back in the mixer and add up to a cup more of flour, as needed, to make a soft dough that doesn't stick to the bowl. You may not need all the flour.

Grease the bowl with some margarine and let the dough rest in the greased bowl for another hour.

Divide the dough in ten balls. Roll out one ball of dough on a floured surface to a very thin 12-inch circle. Spread with a piece of soft margarine (use about one tablespoon per ball). Fold the dough in half, then in half again to make a long strip. Roll up strip from a short side in a tight cylinder. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. [NOTE: This is where I get confused. My rolls came out round and squat. The pictures I see online are mostly long and thin. If you know the "right" shape, please let me know!]

Put the finished rolls in a greased, shallow baking dish or roasting pan.

Cover the dough with foil and a lid and refrigerate at least 2 or up to 8 hours. Preheat the oven to 200*. Bake pastries 13-14 hours or until golden brown. Serve hot.

Jachnun dough, during one of
several resting periods.

Roll the dough really thin to
achieve the flaky texture

This recipe uses LOTS of margarine.
Definitely not an every-week
indulgence.

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Mission Chulent: Week 6

I will start this post with a confession. We didn't have any meat at our Shabbos lunch meal today. (GASP.) All Shabbos I was afraid we'd be discovered. Each time there was a knock at the door, I was SURE it was a neighbor coming to complain about the untraditional aromas coming from our home. "What is that delicious but distinctly pareve smell?" I imagined the balabusta next-door asking. "Mommy, why does the Lockers' house smell so WEIRD? It's like vegetable soup instead of chulent!" I imagined my neighbors' three-year-old asking in a too-loud-whisper. 

But thankfully, we made it through Shabbos undetected. At least I think we did. (I did get some odd stares from the neighbors' kids but I think that was just because of the obscene mess of toys in the living room. Don't anyone else's kids make a mess???)

Today's lunch consisted of eggs, salad, pareve chulent, fish, and Yemenite Jachnun bread which I tried for the first time and will blog about later in the week. 

For our first vegetarian chulent, I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, for inspiration, and we were not disappointed. I made some changes to the original recipe, but relied on good-old-Moosewood for the basic seasonings and main ingredients. It is slightly more labor-intensive than my traditional chulent, but I thought was well worth the effort. This one's definitely going on the favorites list. (Oh, and a word of warning - if you want a truly pareve chulent, be sure to use a pareve pot.)

Vegetarian Chulent

If you like the sound of this but are horrified by the thought of a meatless chulent, you can definitely add turkey or chicken to this recipe for a slightly richer and less scandalous version. I recommend making this chulent later in the day than you'd make a traditional one. The vegetables really don't need much time to cook through, and since the beans are pre-cooked, it does better with less simmering time. I made mine just two hours before Shabbos, which was more than enough time to make sure it was cooked through. 

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

3 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon paprika 

2 teaspoons salt

3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

3 cups water

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 4 cups cooked chickpeas)

In a large, preferably cast iron, pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat and then add the mustard seeds. When the seeds begin popping, stir in the onions and saute for about 10 minutes. 

Add all the spices and the salt to the onions. Mix well and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the potatoes, squash, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. 

Add the chickpeas, orange juice and lime juice and simmer for another few minutes. Put the pot on a blech or transfer it to a crockpot and leave on medium-low heat for up to 24 hours until you're ready to serve it. 

Ingredients for Vegetarian Chulent

Butternut squash, awaiting peeling

Butternut squash, peeled and cubed.
(My favorite photo because I HATE
dealing with butternut squash.)

I love my Le Creuset pot and was
just looking for an excuse to
photograph it. 

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Mission Chulent: Week 5

This week, the hardest thing about making our chulent-of-the-week was getting the ingredients! This recipe, courtesy of my cousin Ley Taubs from Argentina, uses dried white corn. I'm sure there's lots of it to be had in Argentina, but it's not so simple in New Jersey, especially if you don't know what the ingredient is called in English!  (In case you are wondering, it's maiz blanco pisado in Spanish, which Google translated into "trodden white corn." Hmmm...try asking for trodden white corn at Shop Rite.)

Three supermarkets later, I got the goods. It turns out that Goya makes it and it's pretty easy to find. (They had it at all three supermarkets, but I just didn't know what I was looking for!)

White hominy corn, one of this week's chulent ingredients

Oops, there's a little person asking for Mommy's attention.

A closeup of the dried corn.

Once the main ingredient was secured, this chulent was a cinch. And, next to my mother's meat chulent, this is in next place for our favorite meat chulent! The dried corn is a lot like barley or wheat berries but has a lighter feeling, and a really nice taste.

Argentinian Meat Chulent
The corn and barley absorb quite a bit of water so make sure to put in plenty of water. My cousin Ley puts tomato sauce and honey in her version, but I left that out. Feel free to add those in if you want to experiment!


1/2 bag mixed chulent beans, soaked overnight and drained

2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

1 teaspoon paprika 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3 Idaho potatoes, cubed
1-2 pounds of flanken, preferably bone-in, cut in chunks

1/2 cup pearl barley

1/2 cup dried white hominy corn
2 teaspoons salt

In a large pot, heat the oil and then add the onions, potatoes, paprika, and garlic powder. Saute for about ten minutes until the vegetables are beginning to brown.

Add the flanken and saute for a few minutes longer.

Add the remaining ingredients plus plenty of water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat it, at least 24 hours if possible. Ley recommends uncovering the chulent a couple of hours before serving so the extra liquid cooks out and it's nice and dry.

Serve hot.

The chulent ingredients,
ready and waiting

Chopped potatoes and onions

Spiced onions and potatoes,
browning in the pot

Chopped flanken

Dried corn

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Four Braid Challah

Challah braiding is one of those things that people can get very passionate about. Do you make your challah using three, four, or six strands? Do you bake your challah on baking sheets or in oval shaped challah pans? Water or egg? Fresh yeast or dry?

I make a four-braid challah, and I bake my challah on the heaviest baking sheets I can get my hands on. But I confess that I don't feel really passionate about my technique. When my eleven-year-old daughters braid the challah for me (which is almost every batch) one of them does it my way, and the other one prefers a three-strand braid.

You can read my challah recipe here. Tonight's topic is braiding, though. I asked Sarah and Malkie, my wonderfully helpful eleven-year-old twin daughters, to walk us through the process while I snapped away. Here's our lesson.

Step 1: Make your favorite challah dough. My recipe, for a sweet eggy challah, is here.

Step 2: Divide your challah into even portions. I make six challahs out of five pounds of flour.

Step 3: Divide each portion of dough once again into four even portions.You don't need to bring out the measuring scale, but do try to make them as even as possible.

One portion of dough, divided into four even pieces.

Step 4:  Roll each portion of dough into a long rope that is not at all lumpy. (My daughters do a much better job at this than I do. I rush this part and mine come out looking like a snake who just feasted on whole eggs.) We make ours about 12 inches long but you can make them longer if you like long and skinny challah, or shorter if you prefer yours more wide and squattish. 

Sarah's delicate hands rolling the dough into ropes.

Step 5: Once you have four ropes that are pretty even in length, line them up next to each other and pinch them together at the top.

Step 6: Take strand 1 and put it over strand 2, then under strand 3, and then over strand 4.

Step 7: Next, take strand 2 (which is now the first in line) and put it over strand 3, under strand 4, and over strand 1.

Steps 8 till whatever: Keep at it until you've worked your way through the entire length of each of the four strands.

Pinch the ends together tightly.

Finally, let it rise and brush with egg as directed by your recipe.

Malkie's challahs all in a row (these are three-strand braids)

Bake as directed.

See my post on Yeast Spotting.

Braiding

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