Shared by Hagit Bilia
Shared by Hagit Bilia
Cholent with Chickpeas
Yield: 6-8 servings
Cholent with Chickpeas
Yield: 6-8 servingsFamily Journey
Bad Reichenhall, GermanyHaifaTel Aviv
Fort Lauderdale Casablanca, MoroccoHaifaTel Aviv
This recipe is food blogger Hagit Bilia’s own creation, but draws on both sides of her family, using chickpeas like her Moroccan grandmother Sul and a mixture of potatoes and flour she calls kigelach like her Russian aunt Pola. Hagit worked hard on 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.
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
For the cholent
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, unpeeled and quartered
- 16 ounces dried barley
- 8 ounces dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 8 ounces 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 or 1 turkey leg quarters bone-in skin on
- 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 honey) or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
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. Place the kigelach into the pot on top of the eggs and potatoes.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees fahrenheit.
Step 3
Assemble the cholent: Take a large dutch oven or stainless steel pot (6-8 quarts). Place 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the onion in the bottom of the pot. Place the barley, chickpeas and white beans in one layer (each in its own mound on a third of the layer). Place the marrow bones, ossobuco, beef, and chicken on the next layer above the barley and beans. Add the potatoes, eggs, and garlic on top. Place the kigelach on top of the potato and egg layer.
Step 4
Make the sauce: Add 2 tablespoons of ketchup, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of silan or brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper and ¼ cup of water into a large bowl. Stir the ingredients together until combined. Pour this sauce evenly into the pot with the cholent components. Add enough water on top to cover all the ingredients in the pot.
Step 5
Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Skim 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 and add additional water if needed to come at least halfway up the ingredients.
Step 6
Serve hot.
