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If you are used to a cholent, try this Persian lamb stew recipe for shabbos lunch instead. If you don’t love lamb you can make this recipe with beef. It is just as meaty as a regular chollent but much lighter, healthier and more flavorful! If you are cooking both meals this Shabbat, you can use the leftover pargiot from Friday night and throw them into the mung bean salad for lunch! These recipes look fancy but are surprisingly quick and deep flavored.  

Your multi-tasking guide
This can all be prepared on Thursday or Friday!

  1. Make the lamb stew
  2. Make the garlic confit
  3. Roast the butternut squash and onions
  4. Make the rice
  5. Make the pesto and prep the salad
  6. Cook the tofu
  7. Prep the salad and make the dressing on the side
  8. Cook the fish
  9. Cook the chicken (best if you don’t have to put it in the fridge before eating)

Friday Night

Garlic confit chicken
This is one of my favorite pargiot (chicken) dishes. I love making garlic this way because I make a big batch of it and it lasts for weeks in the fridge. I use the garlic as needed in chicken, salads or on crackers and I use the olive oil for cooking or in salad dressings. It is just a win win!
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Poultry
Servings: people USA imperial/metric conversion:
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Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a disposable baking tin with parchment paper. Add the garlic, olive oil, silan and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with tinfoil and place in oven for 30-40 minutes until garlic is golden and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. This can be done up to 5 days ahead.
  2. Prepare a large skillet on high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the garlic olive oil to the pan and get hot. Add the pargiot pieces, not overlapping too much, in batches if have to. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper, while they are cooking. Cook for 3 minutes per side.
  3. Using a slotted spoon add the cooked garlic to the pan, add the chili pepper, asparagus, dates and and mix well. Cook for 3 more minutes.
  4. Remove from pan and add the apricots and fresh basil and lime juice. Serve hot
Pesto salad
This dressing makes this salad! If you want to have extra pesto to use for other things add all the ingredients to the blender except the vinegar, blend it and take out what you want as pesto and then add the vinegar to turn it into a dressing!
Servings: people USA imperial/metric conversion:
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Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Prepare a large skillet on high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and get hot. Add the onions and asparagus and let cook for 5 minutes, mixing often. Remove from heat and place in salad bowl.
  2. In a food processor, add remaining olive oil, basil, garlic, salt and vinegar, mix until smooth.
  3. Add lettuce, nectarines and pistachios to salad bowl.
  4. Add pesto dressing right before serve.
Rice with okra
Okra is a flowering plant with edible green seed pods. It originally grew in West African, Ethiopian, and South Asian countries but has found its way to most places in the world and is often found in regular large supermarkets. It is known to be slightly bitter with a slimy inside, but I found when cooking in a stock or broth it is flavorful and delicious!
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: people USA imperial/metric conversion:
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Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Rinse the rice really well and drain.
  2. Prepare a medium sized pot on high heat. Add olive oil except for 1 tablespoon and get hot.Add rice and using a wooden spoon mix well. Let stick to sides a bit and then add 2 ½ cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix again.Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 17 minutes.
  3. In the meantime prepare a large skillet on high heat and add remaining olive oil and get hot. Add the onions, okra, pepper and garlic to the pan and let cook for 3 minutes.
  4. Add the tomato, garam masala, remaining salt and the chicken stock and mix. Cover the pan with a lid or tightly with tinfoil and let cook for 7 more minutes or until liquid is thick and almost gone.
  5. Place mixture over rice when ready to eat. Serve hot or warm.
Notes & Tips:

If you don’t have chicken stock you can use ½ a cup of tomato sauce with a ½ a cup of water instead.

Shabbat Lunch

Whole fish with olives
Don’t be afraid of a whole fish and don’t be afraid if the skin comes off a bit when you are turning it over. Invest in a fish spatula and it will make a world of difference. I used an amazing blend of high quality olives (with pits!) but feel free to use whichever olives you like best. If you don’t like whole fish or don’t want to deal with the bones, you can make this dish with fish filet, just cook it for half the time and add only half the amount of water.
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Fish
Servings: people USA imperial/metric conversion:
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Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Pat the fish dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper on both sides.
  2. Prepare a large skillet with a lid on high heat. Add the olive oil and get hot. Add the fish and let cook for 3 minutes.
  3. Turn the fish over and add the rest of the ingredients except the lemon and thyme.
  4. Add 1/2 cup of water and turn heat down to medium. Cover and let cook for 10 more minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and fresh thyme.
Butternut squash mung bean salad
Mung beans are a legume in the same family as lentils and peas. It has many health benefits including a high source of fiber, protein and antioxidants and originated in India. You can often find it in the legume section of your supermarket, but if you can’t you can always use any kind of lentils instead!
Servings: people USA imperial/metric conversion:
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Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper. Add the butternut squash. Add ¼ cup of olive oil 1 teaspoon of salt and the cardamom powder.
  2. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden on the outside and soft on the inside.
  3. Place the mung beans in a medium size pot and add 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Remove any excess water.
  4. In a large serving bowl, add the ginger, garlic, honey, limes, scallions, and remaining olive oil and salt. Mix well.
  5. Add the beans and butternut squash and serve warm or room temperature.
Persian lamb stew (Ghormeh Sabzi)
This is a famous Persian green stew called Ghormeh Sabzi. It is not so pretty to look at but beyond delicious. You can find dehydrated limes at all spice shops and in Israel, often in the spice section of a supermarket.
Cuisine: Meat
Servings: people USA imperial/metric conversion:
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Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a Dutch oven on high heat. Add the olive oil and get hot.
  2. Add the lamb in batches if have to and sprinkle with salt and pepper until evenly coated. Sear on each side for 4 minutes.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except ¼ cup of fresh mint) and cover in water and cover tightly with the lid.
  4. Place in oven and cook for 6 hours.
  5. Remove and sprinkle with fresh mint.
Tofu in zucchini tomato sauce
Even if you don’t have a vegetarian coming to the meal, it is always nice to have a tofu dish. Feel free to add a chili pepper to this recipe to spice things up a bit!
Course: Main Dish, Side Dish
Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: people USA imperial/metric conversion:
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Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Prepare a large saute pan or skillet on high heat. Add the olive oil and get hot.
  2. Add the onions.
  3. Add ¼ cup of water, every 5 minutes to the onions for 20 minutes, mixing often.
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients except the fresh basil and cilantro. Cover and turn the heat down to medium and let cook for 8 more minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and add fresh herbs right before serving. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Have a question about these recipes? Need a substitution for an ingredient? Chef Zissie is here to answer!

Simply use the comments box at the bottom of this page or click the button below. 

Leftover tips for Seudat Shlishit or Sunday:

I find its always nice to have one new thing at Seudat Shlishit but why resort to egg salad and tuna? Who decided that those foods were the way to end Shabbat and start your week? Try these tips for a more exciting, easier and healthier way to end Shabbat, leaving you feeling ready to conquer the week ahead!

  • Put the leftover pargiot into any salad or in the mung bean salad for a new twist
  • Keep the pesto salad pareve and serve it with Bulgarian or feta cheese and salmon!
  • Add the rice with the lamb stew for a hearty lunch
  • If you have any leftover fish, pull it from the bones and add it to a fresh tomato basil salad
  • Add the tofu dish to any pasta as an amazing tomato sauce