Saturday, January 23rd, 2021

This cholent is more ad-hoc than those I’ve made before. Usually, I use a recipe and measure things carefully. I’ve been told repeatedly that measuring cups are just for Americans. OK, then. This time, I dump into the crockpot one package of white barley, one package of bulgur, one can of white beans, one can of garbanzo beans, the thawed-out leftover gravy-like-stuff from the previous beef stew, a couple of teaspoons of baharat spice, and two kilograms of cubed-up flanken. The flanken says on the package “Asada Flanken #9.” So I guess that’s what carne asada is. I should look up the seasonings for it. I pour in water to cover, stir it all up, and leave the crockpot on Auto for about fifteen hours. The result is pretty good. It’s much more dense than usual. What I’d been making before was too thin, so this is better. It’s kind of like oatmeal (without the strong oatmeal flavor) with beans and chunks of meat in it. If it weren’t for the heavy meat, it might be good for breakfasts. I’ll have to remember that. There isn’t a lot of flavor. The taste of the meat kind of gets lost. I may spice it further when I reheat future meals. What’s left after lunch fills ten of my serving-sized freezer containers, the container that had held the gravy, and another larger container that I had gotten with some meat-based to-go food a long time ago. Some remnants of the cholent are still caked in the crockpot. I leave them to soak overnight. Late in the evening, I realize that I haven’t eaten any supper. I’m still full from lunch. I should eat something, though, so I don’t wake up hungry in the middle of the night. I won’t have to worry about what to make for Sabbath lunches for the next few months. By that time, it should be getting hot again. If I make anything in bulk then, it will be something more suited to the season.