Cholent with kishke

Ingredients

• 1 kg veal stew meat for cholent
• 1 stuffed kishke, 500 g (tray)
• 1 cup (200 g) dried white beans
• ½ cup pearl barley, rinsed
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
• 6 eggs in their shells, washed
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp silan (date syrup)
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• About 2½ litres boiling water, plus more as needed

Method

1. Ahead (8–12 hours before)
2. Put the beans in a bowl, cover with cold water by 5 cm and soak in the fridge for 8–12 hours. Drain and rinse before cooking.
3. Cooking
4. In a heavy 7–8 litre pot, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the onions for 8–10 minutes until golden.
5. Add the meat and brown it for 5 minutes on all sides. Add the paprika and turmeric and stir for 1 minute.
6. Add the beans and barley, and arrange the potatoes and eggs around them.
7. Prepare the kishke according to the instructions on the product package. Take it out of the tray and remove any outer plastic packaging – never cook plastic packaging. Wrap it in baking paper and place it on top.
8. Add the salt, pepper and silan, and pour in boiling water to cover everything by 2–3 cm (about 2½ litres).
9. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 1½–2 hours, until the beans start to soften. Check the water level as it cooks and add boiling water as needed to keep everything covered by about 2 cm.
10. For the long cook, transfer the tightly covered pot to an oven preheated to 95–100°C for 10–12 hours, or to a slow cooker on LOW. Before moving it, make sure the water covers the contents – some will evaporate.
11. Throughout the holding time the cholent must stay hot – above 60°C (140°F), per food-safety guidelines. Don't let cholent cool at room temperature; refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
12. These are technical cooking instructions only. For halachic questions about preparing cholent, leaving a heat source on, and keeping food hot on Shabbat, consult a rabbi.