Friday Edition . . . A Shabbat Prep Plan
It’s Friday and in my home that means it is erev Shabbat (the eve before the Sabbath). After many years of rushing and Fridays being chaotic draining cooking marathons, I realized that if I did the majority of the prep on Thursday my Friday days would be much more peaceful and I wouldn’t collapse of utter exhaustion after lighting my Shabbat candles on Friday evening. So as I plan my weeknight menus, I also plan a menu each week for Shabbat. Sometimes the menu is themed, Asian Takeout, Israeli Buffet, Old World Eastern European, etc. Sometimes it is just a mishmash of the foods we enjoy in our home. My week also includes preparing the Shabbat meals for a long time client and often the meals my husband and I will enjoy are based on what is prepared for her family. This week both households are having meals that are simple but evocative of Shabbat.
Challah Cilantro Amba Baked Salmon (thank you Ayala Nir) Moroccan Couscous Soup Homemade Dill Hummus Three Bean Salad Green Leafy Salad Chopped Salad Yerushalmi Kugel Chicken Prima Vera Fresh Fruit
Meaty Cholent Roasted Green Beans Rice or Quinoa (yet to be determined) Apple Cake
For those of you that don’t prepare meals for Shabbat this might look overwhelming, but I promise it really isn’t. Practice and having a plan in place definitely help. Wednesday evening I take the meats & poultry out of the freezer to defrost. I also try to prep my veggies. Snip & cut the green beans, wash and dry any leafy greens that need. Sometimes I make my soups on Wednesday evening as well. Thursday morning any baked or roasted meats are prepared and popped into the oven. While those are cooking, I put my yeast for my challah up to proof and prepare any baked goods. The cakes or cookies go into the oven as well. I am fortunate to have separate ovens for meat, dairy and parve (neutral) and this definitely helps to make cooking for Shabbat easier. When the yeast is nice and bubbly, I prepare my challah dough and set it aside to rise for an hour. I check on my meats and other things that are in the oven, removing those when they are fully cooked. Roasted veggies are next. If I prepared them the night before all that is needed is to season and pop into the oven. When my challah dough has risen, I punch it down, take challah and proceed to braid my loaves. After the loaves are braided, I cover with a dish towel and let rise again for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then I egg wash and season the outside of the loaves and place them in the oven to bake. Salads and dips are next. As each item is finished it is allowed to cool, is covered and labeled and placed into the refrigerator awaiting delivery or to be reheated on Friday prior to Shabbat. Crockpot entrees are also prepped ahead on Thursday, this makes it super easy come Friday afternoon to just pop the prepped food into the crockpot and set the heat and go. Another HUGE help is writing it down or having the menu on your phone, laptop or tablet. This way you have visual reminder or a physical list you can check things off as you finish them.
Shabbat Shalom