Beef Cholent

So as long as I have a slow cooker, it's time to tackle cholent for real.  I found a recipe I liked as a starting point on Fit Slow Cooker Queen.  It was heavier on the beans than I prefer in a stew, and did not include chickpeas.  I made a few other adjustments and went shopping.

When it came time to put everything in the Crockpot, I realized just how tiny mine is.  I got in half the veggies I had bought, and it was almost half full.  The meat brought it to 3/4, and I still had two cans of beans plus barley to go.  This was when I was glad to be starting it at 5:30am.  It gave me plenty of time to rearrange priorities.  The chickpeas were from dry, so they went in the crock.  I cooked the barley separate.  The kidney beans were canned and could go in after everything was cooked.  So, even for this half-recipe, you're going to need a 3 quart or larger crock.

You don't actually need a slow cooker to make this.  It can go in the oven at 225º or on the stove at the lowest simmer.  But it's going to take the same amount of time, a minimum of 8 hours.  That's how I made things like this pre-Crockpot.  It just always felt silly to have the oven all day for such a small casserole.

I have to say, the best part of this for me was the potatoes cooked in the broth.  I'm not a huge potato person, but I really loved the taste.  I added water, not beef broth, and it still had just the right amount of beefiness in it.  The soy and tomato paste accent the umami of the beef, so you don't really need the broth.

1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb potatoes, cut in bite-sized chunks
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced in rounds
*1 lb beef stew meat, such as brisket or chuck roast
*1 Tb tomato paste
*1/4 C soy sauce
1 can chickpeas
1 can red kidney beans
1/2 C barley
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
water or low-sodium beef broth as needed

1.  Place onion, potatoes, and carrots in bottom of slow cooker or pot.  Cut beef into 2" cubes and add as the next layer.  Rinse chickpeas, kidney beans, and barley and add next.

2.  Sprinkle on pepper, tomato paste, paprika, and cumin.  Pour soy sauce over, then add water or broth to cover everything by about 1/2".  The barley is going to suck up a lot of it.

3.  Set cooker on low, or simmer on lowest stove heat or in oven at 225º.  Stir every couple of hours, and add water if necessary.  Cook 8-12 hours.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)