Friday, October 15, 2010

Cooking for the Sabbath...

For Shabbat, the Sabbath, I make a stew on Friday and it cooks until Saturday afternoon when it is finally eaten. This way I do not have to cook on shabbat.
Here is my recipe for what is called Dafina.

  1-1/4 cups  dried chick-peas (soaked over night or use canned if you like, drained )


3 tablespoons Olive oil (more if you need it)

2 mediums Onions, chopped (about 1 cup)  I like Vidalia but many like Spanish onions for this. You can add more if you love the taste.

4 whole cloves garlic (or to taste)

1 pound of  Beef  or veal bones (you dont need to use these but it does add huge flavor.)

3 pounds Beef brisket  ora nice chuck roast, cut into 4 pieces . You can use cheaper cuts because you are going to cook the dickens out of it . It will be fork tender.

12 medium Potatoes peeled (you can even use sweet potatoes or yams for extra flavor. I use both white and sweet potatoes)

5 Pitted dates cut up  or 3 tablespoons honey (up to 6 if you like things sweeter. I use sparingly)

1 tablespoon Paprika  (use good Paprika)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground tumeric (news item says tumeric is a huge cancer fighter)

 6  crumbled  saffron threads (this stuff is expensive. The recipe is nice with it, but you can do without.)

2 teaspoons sea salt, about ( be careful) and you can use whatever salt you like, not just sea salt of course

Ground black pepper to taste  . Freshly ground just adds more flavor

 6 jumbo or large  Eggs, in  their shell  or 8 small ones. As many as the crock pot will hold as far as I am concerned. I love these eggs like this!

Saute the onion and  the garlic  in a bit of the oil until onion is translucent.
Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a large crock pot. Add  the onion and sauteed garlic and  cover the whole mess with nice water.
Oh.. don't forget to put the eggs in., uncooked and in their shells. They will change color and take on the flavor of the stew. They are absolutely delicious.
Set on low and let it cook overnight.  It can cook for 12 or more hours and still be delicious.
Enjoy.
I have a computerized crock pot that cooks for 10 hours then sets itself on low for the rest of the time.
10 hours usually will cook it all nicely .
As I make it pre-sundown on Friday, it cooks all that time until Sat. afternoon. So, don't worry if it cooks a long time.

You can serve the eggs with the meal . I have one at least that day but I put others away in refrig. to have for lunch and breakfast during the coming week.

6 comments:

  1. Wow Annie;

    Sound like a fantastic stew. I too prefer Vidalia onions to any others but they are hard to get after the summer. Chick-peas are a staple in my house. I'm copying and pasting it with the rest of my recipes for whenever my family gets together for the holidays. Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend my friend. Hus

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  2. Annie, this stew looks incredible!! So delicious! I'm going to copy it & try it for fall. I'm sure it's going to be a favorite here. Thank you so much for sharing. Have a blessed weekend. Hugs!

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  3. Hi Annie! Looks delicious! Interesting about the eggs! So do you take them out of the shells and add them to the dish later?

    Thanks so much for all your kind words and prayers about Kali. Our hearts are still heavy but we are trying to find comfort in the life she led. She was such a sweet and silly girl and we are missing so many of her little antics. I'm sure time will help. I can look back on Dylan now and it no longer hurts so I'm sure the good memories of Kali will eventually outweigh the sadness we feel now. (((Hugz)))

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  4. Hi Annie, the recipes sounds wonderful! I would like to try it. Can you use lamb? I love lamb meat. I love the colors in here. I am going to read a few more of your post before I leave. Have a great week and thanks for your visits. Hugs

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  5. Ciao Annie, what an interesting recipe :) I used to love stew, but I do not eat beaf anymore and other kind of meat are not "perfect" for stew in my opinion. Have a lovely week! ...gorgeous autumn look, btw! :)

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  6. Hi Annie,
    That stew looks fantastic. My Granny use to make a great stew. Hope you have a lovely evening and a great Wednesday.
    Hugs, Dru

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