Shabbat Cookery - Kugels, and Cholent, and Brisket, Oh My! - Part I

I am so thankful for Shabbat. Every week on Friday night, I turn my phone off, shut down my computer, and unplug my brain for 25 hours. Shabbat is a blissful time where we eat ceremoniously, go to shul/synaggogue/temple, take naps, and play board games with friends and family (when sundown is very late on Saturday night).
Growing up, our Shabbat dinners consisted of challah, chicken or split pea soup, roast chicken, meatballs, or brisket (or whatever main dish my mom wanted to make), kugel, salad, and dessert. I looked forward to that chicken every week.
As I've gotten older, I've been introduced to other peoples' Shabbat customs, such as introducing dips and pickles to the appetizer course, using honey instead of salt for motzi, and ripping and throwing challah across the table. To each their own, and every family's customs are important. 
In school, we learned the principles of preparing Shabbat food for a crowd, or commercially. It can be understood that preparing a cholent for a family of 8 is not at all the same as preparing gallons of cholent for a wedding weekend reception with hundreds of people. A few important things to note, when cooking for a crowd:

~Things that are red before Shabbat will be brown by the next day, if left in a warming drawer, hot tray, or slow-cooker. This includes anything mixed with tomato products.
~Don't expect to serve hot, green vegetables. It is nearly impossible to execute an electric-green, hot asparagus dish unless you are serving the food immediately after candle lighting.
~For color, do cold vegetable or pasta salads. By working with blanched or raw veggies, you can preserve their natural hues, and mixing veggies with pasta, orzo, or quinoa is a good way to satisfy your client's (or family's) need for something not brown.

Below, Chef and classmate Bonnie

Classmates Dvasha and Avi working on two recipes.

My partner and I worked on a meat-grindered potato kugel:

Meanwhile, Chef demonstrated how to fill and roll Savoy cabbage with a blend of ground turkey, fine noodles, shredded carrots, and spices.

Then, the cabbages were placed in a steamer basket over the stove to cook. I would have preferred them to cook longer than the recipe said about 15 minutes. The cabbage was still a little crunchy, and I prefer it when the leaves just melt away.

They were delicious nevertheless, and we plated them up with Dvasha's batch of Ginger Sauce (recipe at the bottom of the post).

A view from the inside:

Avi was our cholent man for the day, mixing and keeping an eye on the giant, bubbling pot of meat, beans, potatoes, and barley.

Sheva worked on the pot of chicken soup with matzo balls.

 Esther and Josh worked together on the Cranberry Braised Brisket:

Here are the glazed, ripple-cut beets and carrots that would serve as the side for the brisket:

A lovely plate by Esther and Josh!

My partner, Bracha, and I worked tirelessly to ladle our potato kugel batter into these individual ramekins and bake them for Chef's approval.

They puffed up over the edges of the ramekins (due to the eggs and baking powder in the recipe). Delicious!

Here is our small plate with the potato kugel, cut chives, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprig of rosemary.

Bracha ad I also worked on a batch of individual Noodle Chive Puddings (noodle kugel):

So filling!

There's more! Stay tuned for Shabbat Cookery Part II.


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Ginger Sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 TB sliced fresh ginger
2 tsp scallion whites
1 tsp chopped garlic
6 oz soy sauce
3 oz honey
14 oz pineapple juice
2 TB cornstarch
2 TB water
In a medium saucepan, bring the pineapple juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, ginger, and garlic to a boil. While this is coming to a boil, dissolve the cornstarch in water to create a slurry.
After the saucepan has come to a boil, whisk the slurry into the sauce to thicken it.
Turn off the burner and whisk any lumps out. Serve immediately on pretty much anything or refrigerate for later use.
Garnish with scallions.


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Individual Potato Kugels
12 lbs russet potatoes
1 lb onion
3 cups eggs
2 1/2 cups canola oil
6 oz matzoh meal
1/2 tsp baking powder
 salt to taste
white pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste

Heat an oven to 375. Whip eggs for approximately 3 minutes in a bowl. 
Add all other ingredients and season to taste.
Spray individual ramekins (or 2  9x13 pans) with cooking spray.
Fill each ramekin to about a 1/2" below the top and place on a baking sheet.
Place into the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on your oven. The tops should be golden brown, crispy, and spring back when touched.
Serve with sour cream, chives, lox, meatloaf...whatever. They are good by themselves, too.


Enjoy!