Now that we've switched our clocks to winter time, and the sun is setting early, the time has come to begin cooking dishes for our families that are more appropriate for the fall and winter, such as slow cooker stew recipes. The best part about these stews that cook slowly over a low flame is that the entire meal is cooked in one pot. All you have to do is put in the main ingredients and then add spices and vegetables. Slowly everything softens, thickens, and binds together. Colors blend and all the parts connect and become one incredible flavor. I love serving stews on top of a bed of couscous, rice or ptitim (a type of toasted pasta). And I usually include one or two grains or legumes within the stew itself. Now is the perfect time to rummage through your drawers and favorite cookbooks for your best-loved recipes and ready your pantry for the winter. Make sure you have the basic ingredients such as chickpeas, white and red beans, green and orange lentils, and barley, etc. These ingredients will help you make spontaneous and fantastic soups or stews on cold, rainy days. The first recipe I've chosen is a stew made with beef, beans and Swiss chard, which requires time and patience for its flavor to develop. The second recipe is a stew made with pearl barley, sweet potato, cashews and red onions, which is especially good to bring to work the next day for lunch. And the last winter dish is a rich and filling bean soup, which can easily be served as the main dish if you'd like. Of course, I couldn't resist adding a dessert recipe – a nice pecan pie that is absolutely perfect to serve Shabbat morning. Translated by Hannah Hochner. Beef, bean and Swiss chard stew This bean-based stew has lots of cumin in it and is great served over white rice. Makes 6-8 servings Ingredients: ■ 3 Tbsp. oil ■ ½ tsp spicy chili pepper ■ 1 Tbsp. sweet paprika ■ ½ tsp. or harissa ■ ¼ tsp. black pepper ■ 3 Tbsp. tomato puree ■ 2 large, juicy tomatoes, cut into small cubes ■ 400-500 gr. beef (head or shoulder), cut into cubes, washed and rinsed ■ 8 large cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed ■ 2 Tbsp. ground cumin ■ ¼ to ½ tsp. salt ■ 4 to 5 cups water ■ 3 cups white beans that were soaked overnight, washed and rinsed ■ 6 beet leaves or Swiss chard, cut into thick strips Directions: Heat oil in a wide, deep pot. Add the chili pepper, sweet paprika, harissa, black pepper, tomato puree, and chopped tomatoes. Mix well. Add the beef cubes, garlic, cumin, salt and water. Mix and cover. Bring to a boil. Add the drained beans. The water should cover all the ingredients. If it doesn't, you can add another ½ cup of water. Continue cooking covered over medium flame for about two hours. Add the beet leaves and cook for another 30 minutes. Serve hot on top of white rice. Pearl barley, cashew and caramelized sweet potato Ingredients: ■ 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into medium-size cubes ■ 4 Tbsp. olive oil ■ Salt and pepper, to taste ■ 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed well ■ 4 small red onions, cut into quarters or strips ■ 1 Tbsp. demerara sugar ■ ½ cup roasted almonds or salted cashews ■ 1 Tbsp. pomegranate or cherry concentrate Directions: Arrange the sweet potato pieces on a pan lined with baking paper. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. of olive oil on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir. Bake at 200° for 25 minutes until sweet potatoes are soft. In a medium pot, pour in pearl barley, 3 cups of boiling water and stir. Cook over medium flame for 15-20 minutes until barley is soft – but not mushy. Rinse barley and transfer to another pot. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Separate pieces with a fork. Heat the rest of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion pieces and fry for a few minutes. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved and onions begin to become caramelized. Add onions and sweet potatoes, and then stir. Add the almonds or cashews, barley, salt, pepper and pomegranate concentrate. Stir and adjust seasoning. Bean Soup This soup needs to cook slowly for a long time. I don't recommend trying to speed up cooking time. If you'd like to make it a meat soup, you can add two or three marrow bones. Makes 6-8 servings Ingredients: ■ 500 gr. (3 cups) white beans, soaked overnight, rinsed ■ 10 cups water ■ 1 large onion, thinly sliced ■ 2 carrots, cut in half ■ 2 celery sticks, cut into 3 cm. pieces ■ 3 ripe tomatoes, cut into small cubes ■ 2 heaping Tbsp. tomato puree ■ 6 Tbsp. olive oil ■ 1 tsp salt ■ ½ tsp black pepper ■ 1 tsp sugar ■ 2 Tbsp. chicken-soup powder ■ 2 Tbsp. onion-soup powder ■ 4 basil leaves For garnish: ■ Fresh parsley and basil Directions: Pour beans into a wide, deep pot. Pour in water and bring to a boil over medium flame. Skim off foam. Slowly and gradually add rest of ingredients. Stir well and bring back to boil. Turn down flame to lowest possible setting and cook for 2.5 to 3 hours. Stir every so often. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsley or basil leaves and serve with whole grain bread. Pecan pie This pie goes with any hot drink. Use a 26-cm. pie pan Ingredients: For dough: ■ 2 cups flour, sifted ■¼ tsp salt ■ ½ cup powdered sugar ■ 200 gr. cold butter, cut into cubes ■ 1 package vanilla sugar ■ 1 egg For filling: ■ ¾ cup maple syrup ■ ¾ cup brown sugar ■ 2 packages vanilla sugar ■ 75 gr. butter ■ 4 eggs ■ 250 gr. pecans ■ 100 gr. almonds For garnish: ■ ½ cup blanched almond chips Directions: To make the dough, mix ingredients with an electric mixer until dough falls away from sides. Wrap in a plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for an hour. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it on a floured work surface. Line pan with dough. Prick the dough with a fork, cover with plastic wrap and stick in the freezer for 15 minutes. Take the dough out of the freezer. Cover with baking paper and then pour dry beans on top of the paper (to be used as weights). Bake at 180° for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove and let cool. To make the filling, put the maple syrup, sugar, vanilla sugar, and butter in a medium-size pot and cook over low flame. Mix until it boils and becomes a dark caramel. With an electric beater, whip eggs on high speed. Add maple syrup slowly and gradually while mixing. Mix until smooth. Add the almonds and pecans and mix well. Pour the filling into the pie crust and garnish with almond pieces. Bake for 5-10 minutes until cream thickens. Remove and let cool.
Beef, bean and Swiss chard stew(photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)