Tzimmes

Rosalind Joffe z”l

Food Editor's Notes:

This is the tzimmes I grew up on and love. No carrots for my family. My grandmother called this a flomen tzimmes, which she said meant that it was made with white potatoes. White potatoes, sweet potatoes, meat, and prunes (with the pits, of course – she insisted they had more flavor). She didn't use a recipe, but I watched and helped enough times to be able to reconstruct the process from memory. Although we ate this tzimmes at holiday meals as a side dish, it is hearty enough to be a main course. With the chunks of potatoes, this does not freeze well, but you can make it in advance and it will last a week in the refrigerator. Don’t worry, you’ll have no trouble finishing the leftovers – just reheat in the microwave and you have a meal in minutes.

Ingredients

2 pounds flanken
3 tablespoons chicken fat or oil
1 1/2 large onions, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
4 pounds white potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
1 pound prunes
2 tablespoons sugar or to taste

Brown the meat in the chicken fat or oil in the bottom of a pressure cooker. Remove the meat and fry the onions gently until soft. Return the meat to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and add water to cover. Cover the pressure cooker, bring to pressure, and cook 20-25 minutes (with regulator shaking slowly).

Cool the cooker, open, and remove the meat to a plate. Cut the meat in chunks and return to the pot with the white and sweet potatoes and prunes. Cover, bring to pressure again, and cook 5-10 minutes. Cool immediately and remove cover. Add the sugar to taste and stir to mix and break up potatoes.

Cool and store in the refrigerator. If you reheat this in a 350-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, the top will brown and get a slight crunch to it. You can also reheat the tzimmes in a microwave.

This recipe serves 16.

Rosalind Joffe z”l was the Food Editor’s grandmother.