First things first. For those of you who don't understand the title of this post, please read this online definition of chulent (also spelled cholent).

A friend of mine shared a wonderful Sephardic 'hamin' recipe with me today (thank you, Esther!) which I can't wait to try. It is built around lamb, and I just love how lamb perfumes my house. Can't wait to try it.

Seeing her recipe made me wonder what other wonderful chulent and hamin recipes are out there. I would love to try some new ones. Here's mine which is an Iraqi style chulent, modified over the years to create a personalized recipe unlike any other. This is my healthy chulent, but I have a more sinful version with the traditional barley, beans and flanken. And, I even have a vegetarian version! But I'll save those for another time.  Please post your recipes to the comments section so others can enjoy them too. I don't know about you, but I could use some change!

Rivki's Chulent
1 cup wheat berries (these are whole grain wheat kernels; you can use barley if you can't find wheat but I love how firm the wheat stays even after the chulent has cooked for hours)
1 cup chicpeas, soaked overnight if possible, and then drained
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
1 onion, peeled but left whole
1 head of garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
A bit of black pepper
1 turkey thigh or 2 drumsticks, skin removed

Put all of the ingredients in a large pot or crock pot in the order listed above. Cover generously with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low.  (If you like, put in some raw unpeeled eggs, which you can remove on Shabbos morning and chop up for for lovely brown egg salad as a first course. Be sure to find out how to remove the eggs without violating any Shabbos laws.)  Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 24 hours if possible. Serve hot, with some mustard for dipping, if desired. (I also really like coleslaw next to my chulent.)