Health & Fitness PANDORA'" FOOD UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS Before The Fast Cholent offers one-pot comfort food erev Yom Kippur. Linda Morel Jewish Telegraphic Agency New York A SEPT. 9TH, 1oTH, & 11TH RECEIVE A FREE PANDORA CLASP BRACELET WITH YOUR PANDORA PURCHASE OF $150 OR MORE.* 'GOOD WHILE SUPPLIES LAST, LIMIT ONE PER CUSTOMER Fine Jewelry Designers • Certified Gerriologists • Fine Swiss Witches KAR.A.GCDSIAN 2266 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD AT MIDDLEBELT ROAD SYLVAN LAKE, MI 48320 248.682.8573 WWW.KARAGOSIAN.COM U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,507 0 • All rights reserved • PANDORA-JEWELRY.COM • PANDORA.NET 40 September 9 • 2010 t a surprise 40th birthday party for a friend, her mother stood at their stove stirring a huge cauldron of simmering stew. The chicken, flanken, potatoes, car- rots, dried peas and barley in the pot emitted an aroma that made the offer- ings prepared by the caterer pale in comparison. With Yom Kippur beginning this year on a Friday (Sept. 17), it occurred to me that the best thing to eat before the fast begins would be chicken cholent. Many Jews customarily consume chicken and rice on erev Yom Kippur. A one-pot meal brimming with nutri- tious foods, cholent is a traditional Sabbath dish. However, it is usually served for lunch on Saturdays or as a hot meal immediately after the Havdalah service that brings Shabbat to an end. Cholent is an ideal hot meal for Sabbath observers, who do not cook or perform any work from Friday at sun- down until Shabbat ends 24 hours later. A signature dish of Ashkenazim, cho- lent can be made from almost anything. One reason is because in the old country, Jews were poor and threw any scrap of food they could find into their stews. However, a traditional cholent is made with meat and meat bones, pota- toes, beans and barley. More modern recipes for vegetarian cholents dotted with tofu now abound. Not to be outdone, Sephardim for centuries have prepared spectacular Sabbath stews infused with the most marvelous seasoning. These aromatic recipes are often called hamim, or "hot" in Hebrew. With erev Yom Kippur falling as the Sabbath begins, this one-pot meal is ideal to serve before the fast. A hearty dish that is filling but not fancy, cholent is in line with Yom Kippur's solemn theme. As it can be prepared hours in advance, cholent is a practical dish for home cooks who want to avoid the last- minute rush that often precedes arriv- ing at Kol Nidre services on time. I suggest serving rice with your stew. It's easy to digest, and rice is a balanced accompaniment to a one-pot meal brimming with vegetables and chicken. Most stew recipes do not indicate how much water is needed, which many cooks find maddening. However, it's almost impossible to gauge quantities of water because so many factors influence the result, such as temperature and consis- tency of the heat and thickness of the pot. However, if you add too much water to the pot, you'll end up with soup, not a terrible fate. Should this happen, it can be remedied by leaving the pot uncov- ered and raising the flame to cook off some of the excess water. If you put too little water into the pot, the ingredients could dry out or burn. You can always add more water and stir it to combine evenly. Keep an eye on the pot to check for water levels. Stir at least once every half hour. Ideally, the ingredients in your cholent should yield a thickened gravy. However, it doesn't matter how a cholent turns out because thick or thin, this fool- proof dish is delicious and sustaining. CHICKEN CHOLENT (Ashkenazi style, meat) No-stick vegetable spray, optional 8 skinless chicken thighs 4 sweet potatoes 8 carrots 1 parsnip 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound string beans, cut in half horizontally 1 Tbsp. dill, minced Salt to taste 8 Tbsp. parsley, minced, optional garnish Use a large stockpot, preferably of the stick-resistant variety. If not using a stick-resistant pot, spray pot interior generously with no-stick vegetable spray. Rinse chicken under cold water and place in the pot. Scrape skin from sweet potatoes and cut each into 8 chunks. Scrape carrots and parsnip and cut into 1-inch chunks. To the pot, add the sweet potatoes, car- rots, parsnip, onion, garlic string beans and dill. Add enough cold water to just cover the ingredients. They shouldn't slog around in excess water. Gently stir ingredients. Cover the pot and place it on a medium-high flame until the water simmers. Reduce to the lowest possible flame. Let cholent simmer for 6 to 8 hours, or longer if you've got the time, until the gravy thickens. For safety sake, do not leave cholent pot unattended. Add salt to taste. However, for the erev Yom Kippur meal, use salt sparingly so as not to cause thirst and undue dis- comfort during the fast. Serve over rice in large soup bowls. Garnish with parsley, if using. Yield: 8 servings. CHICKEN TAGINE (Moroccan style, meat) No-stick vegetable spray, optional 8 skinless chicken thighs 4 white potatoes 1 large onion, chopped 1 /2 tsp. fresh ginger root, skinned and chopped 1 (28 oz.) can chopped tomatoes 1 (15.5 oz.) can chickpeas 2 or 3 zucchini, diced large 4 tomatoes, chopped 1 /2 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. ground cinnamon Salt to taste 8 Tbsp. cilantro, minced, optional garnish Use a large stockpot, preferably of the stick-resistant variety. If not using a stick-resistant pot, spray pot's inte- rior generously with no-stick vegetable spray. Rinse chicken under cold water and place in the pot. Scrape skin from potatoes and cut each into 8 chunks. To the pot, add chicken, potatoes, onion, ginger, canned tomatoes, chickpeas, zucchini, chopped tomatoes, cumin and cinnamon. Add enough cold water to the pot to just cover the ingredients. They shouldn't slog around in excess water. Gently stir ingredients. Cover the pot and place it on a medium-high flame until the water simmers. Reduce to the lowest possible flame. Let tagine simmer for 6 to 8 hours, or longer if you've got the time, until the gravy thickens. For safety sake, do not leave cholent pot unattended. When ready, add salt to taste. However, for the erev Yom Kippur meal, use salt sparingly so as not to cause thirst and undue discomfort during the fast. Serve over rice in large soup bowls. Garnish with cilantro, if using. Yield: 8 servings. ❑