Cuisine Featured: Jewish
The Melting Pot section is where we have placed recipes for cuisines brought to America by the many immigrants to our shores. Over the years these cuisines have been Americanized, i.e., most viewers of our site have probably been exposed to many of these cuisines, either via the dining-out route or, perhaps, directly within our own families due to the multi-ethnic makeup therein. As an example of this multi-ethnicity within a single family, I can cite my own case-- My family consists of the following ethnicities: English, Irish, Scottish, German, Polish and Greek. Is it any wonder then that America is called the Melting Pot?
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1½ pounds pitted prunes 5 medium-sized sweet potatoes (about
3 c boiling water 2½ pounds), peeled and cut into
2 T rendered chicken fat 1½-inch chunks
3 pounds chuck, cut into 1½-inch ½ c honey
chunks 2 whole cloves
1½ c finely chopped onions ½ tsp cinnamon
1 T salt
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Place the prunes in a small mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over
them. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes, then remove the prunes from the
water and set them and the soaking water aside separately.Preheat the oven to 350°. Melt the chicken fat in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet and, when it is very hot, add the meat chunks. Tossing the chunks about constantly, brown them on all sides, then transfer them to a 2½- to 3-quart casserole. Stir the onions into the fat remaining in the skillet and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent. Scrape the onions into the casserole with the meat.
Pour the prune liquid into the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, meanwhile scraping in any browned bits that may be clinging to the skillet. Pour the contents of the skillet into the casserole and add the prunes, salt, sweet potatoes, honey, cloves and cinnamon. Cover the casserole tightly and place it in the center of the oven for 1½ hours, until the meat is tender and the potatoes offer no resistance when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Taste for seasoning and serve the tsimmes hot, directly from the casserole or from a deep heated platter. Serves 6.
