WHY WE HAVE IRVING NAXON TO THANK FOR OUR WEEKLY CHOLENT:
Created to provide a hot meal on Shabbat, it has fed families for centuries
V DID you know that one of our most useful kitchen gadgets was invented with cholent in mind?
Irving Naxon (born Nachumsohn)was the son of Lithuanian immigrants living in the United States. His mother had come to America before the turn of the 20th century. She had grown up in Vilna, where, on Friday afternoons, her mother (his grandmother) would prepare a big pot of dried beans, root vegetables and some meat.
That pot would be sealed and taken by his mother to the local bakery to place in their oven with pots from other families from their neighbourhood. When the furnace was turned off at the end of the day, as it cooled overnight, it provided a slow, even, diminishing temperature.
On Shabbat, his mother would return to pick up the pot filled with steaming hot cholent.
Without access to a communal oven like they had used in the old country, Naxon wanted to emulate this experience for her.
He was an inventor who had already submitted 200 applications to the US Patent Department — many of them for machines intended to make life easier in the home.
In 1936, he submitted the patent for a crockpot surrounded by a heating element, where the crock could be removed, and the heat remained consistent — essentially re-creating the baker’s oven. In 1940, while vibrant Jewish life in Vilna had its days numbered, Naxon, back in America received approval for his patent on the Crock-Pot.
The Crock-Pot has enabled two whole generations of Jews to put a hot meal on the table for Shabbat — and many of us to put a hot, home cooked meal on the table after a day’s work.
Ilana Epstein is the founder of food charity Ta’am www.wearetaam.com which shares history through food. 200g dried butter (or lima) beans
200g dried white (or kidney) beans
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 onions, peeled and finally sliced
1 kg beef brisket, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into large pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
500g beef marrow bones (optional)
200g pearl barley
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 packet of onion soup mix
6 eggs in their shells
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
METHOD:
At least 8 hours before you want to prepare this, soak the beans in enough cold water to cover by at least 2 inches. Leave for a minimum of 8 hours.
In a large sauté pan, over medium-high heat oil, sauté the onions, until soft and turning golden brown, transfer the onions to a plate.
Season the brisket with salt and pepper; add to the saute pan and cook, turning, until well browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate.
Place the vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker and place the beef, onions and bones (if using) on top of the vegetables.
Add the garlic and drained beans, barley, and enough water to cover the contents of the pot by a couple of centimetres. Add the paprika, tomato paste, and onion soup mix and then the eggs. Season the pot well with salt and pepper.
Set the pot on low and leave to cook overnight.