Spanish Sephardic Stew (Dafina)
Spanish Sephardic Stew (Dafina)
This recipe is submitted by Raquel Fereres-Moskowitz, mother of Yicara (4A) and Yosef Moskowitz (2B)
“Recipes from Jews from Spain in honor of Yicara and Yosef’s great-grandfather Solomon Fereres. Thanks to Raquel’s sister-in-law, Adina Moskowitz, for help editing.”
Dafina
“This is a Spanish Sephardic Jewish recipe. This recipe is equivalent to the Ashkenazi version of a cholent. Dafina is cooked on Friday afternoons and cooks through the night until Saturday, in time for Saturday lunch meal. This recipe usually requires a crock pot to cook uninterrupted. My grandparents were born in Morocco, but moved to Spain in the 1950’s, and prepared this dish for their children and grandchildren. My grandfather continued making this dish until he was 99 years old. This is a very delicious dish that brings me the fondest memories of my childhood in Spain.”
1 ¼ cups of dried chick peas (canned chick peas, drained, and properly measured work as well)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 whole cloves of garlic
1 pound beef or veal marrow bones
3 pounds beef brisket, cut into pieces
12 medium potatoes, peeled
3 sweet potatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons of caramel or honey
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt and pepper
6 large eggs
1) Add the following into a crock pot without mixing: chickpeas, paprika, cumin, garlic, bones, meat, and the potatoes.
2) Place the eggs around this mixture carefully so they don’t crack. Add enough water to cover everything in the pot. Set the crock pot on high setting and then lower it to a low setting before the sun sets and the Sabbath comes in. It will slow cook until Saturday morning when you are ready to serve it. If you don’t have a crock pot, you can put this mixture in a covered pot and put it in the oven on a low oven setting before sunset on Friday and keep it in the oven until Saturday morning. Take out when you are ready to eat.
Dafina is traditionally served in three different dishes:
1) First course is the chickpeas and cooking liquid in one bowl as soup.
2) Second, the eggs and potatoes with the soup sauce.
3) Third is the meat.
4) You can serve this dish as a stew with all the ingredients mixed together or the traditional way in three separate dishes, as listed above.
“Recipes from Jews from Spain in honor of Yicara and Yosef’s great-grandfather Solomon Fereres. Thanks to Raquel’s sister-in-law, Adina Moskowitz, for help editing.”
Dafina
“This is a Spanish Sephardic Jewish recipe. This recipe is equivalent to the Ashkenazi version of a cholent. Dafina is cooked on Friday afternoons and cooks through the night until Saturday, in time for Saturday lunch meal. This recipe usually requires a crock pot to cook uninterrupted. My grandparents were born in Morocco, but moved to Spain in the 1950’s, and prepared this dish for their children and grandchildren. My grandfather continued making this dish until he was 99 years old. This is a very delicious dish that brings me the fondest memories of my childhood in Spain.”
1 ¼ cups of dried chick peas (canned chick peas, drained, and properly measured work as well)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 whole cloves of garlic
1 pound beef or veal marrow bones
3 pounds beef brisket, cut into pieces
12 medium potatoes, peeled
3 sweet potatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons of caramel or honey
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt and pepper
6 large eggs
1) Add the following into a crock pot without mixing: chickpeas, paprika, cumin, garlic, bones, meat, and the potatoes.
2) Place the eggs around this mixture carefully so they don’t crack. Add enough water to cover everything in the pot. Set the crock pot on high setting and then lower it to a low setting before the sun sets and the Sabbath comes in. It will slow cook until Saturday morning when you are ready to serve it. If you don’t have a crock pot, you can put this mixture in a covered pot and put it in the oven on a low oven setting before sunset on Friday and keep it in the oven until Saturday morning. Take out when you are ready to eat.
Dafina is traditionally served in three different dishes:
1) First course is the chickpeas and cooking liquid in one bowl as soup.
2) Second, the eggs and potatoes with the soup sauce.
3) Third is the meat.
4) You can serve this dish as a stew with all the ingredients mixed together or the traditional way in three separate dishes, as listed above.