Years ago, when Sharon and I were part of the Sephardic Educational Center’s Young Professionals, a large group of us would meet every Shabbat at Kahal Joseph Congregation. After the services, David and Sue, Sharon’s parents, would host all the singles for a super fun and friendly gathering in their large backyard.
Sharon’s mother always served t’bit, an overnight stuffed chicken and rice dish, alongside Israeli salad, brown Shabbat eggs, fried eggplant and various pickles and dips.
Nowadays, I love going to Alan and Sharon’s home for Shabbat lunch. It’s always entertaining to sit around the table and listen to their friends discussing Israel, politics and most entertainingly, the ins and outs of private Jewish school. It makes me especially grateful that my children are all grown now, long past the struggles and the drama of that time in life.
But what I really look forward to is Sharon’s t’bit. I’ve loved this dish ever since those Shabbats spent with friends at the home of her parents. There’s something so homey and comforting about this chicken and rice dish. There’s something so special about the warm spices that waft up from the steaming platter.
Of course, Sharon’s table always overflows with many delicious dishes. But for me, it’s all about the t’bit. Like my own Moroccan dafina, it’s a true Shabbat stew, slow-cooked, soulful and made with love. Just like eating dafina, once I’ve eaten t’bit, there’s only one thing I can do and that’s to head home and take a serious Shabbat nap.
—Rachel
I can only imagine what life in the big city of Baghdad (and the small village of El Azair) was like for my parents, my grandparents and my great grandparents. I can do my best to piece it together from stories and photographs. I can almost picture the scenes of family gathered around the table, eating, laughing, loving.
But the best thing I can do is to try to recreate a small sliver of that life and those ancient traditions in our home.
I feel connected to my roots whenever I gather a crowd around our table. Especially on Shabbat, when I make t’bit for my family and friends.
This classic slow-roasted chicken and rice dish is most emblematic of the Babylonian kitchen.
In the overnight cooking tradition of cholent, dafina and chamin, t’bit is the clever workaround of the prohibition of cooking on Shabbat. The result is a deliciously spiced, soft aromatic rice and savory chicken flesh that falls off the bones (bones that are so soft they actually melt in your mouth!).
The original technique involves stuffing the chicken with “hash’wa”—a mixture of giblets, rice and a baharat spice blend mix. And while I grew up watching my grandmother patiently sewing her stuffed chicken, I’m quite content with this more simple, equally delicious, version of t’bit.
The trick to an amazing t’bit is to soften the aromatics — the onions, tomatoes and garlic, along with the baharat blend — cardamom, cinnamon, paprika and ginger. Each spice adding a different dimension—the cool menthol of cardamom, the warm, sweet, woody notes of cinnamon, the mild, sweet tang of the paprika and the spicy, citrusy, sweet intensity of the powdered ginger. Sautéing the chicken releases the juices, creating a fabulous broth to simmer the rice in. The low, slow roast in the oven is where the magic comes together
As we bid farewell to summer and the month of Tishrei, t’bit is the perfect addition to your Fall menu: flavorful, nutritious, comfort food at its best.
—Sharon
Easy T’bit Recipe
1 whole chicken, washed and patted dry
2 cups basmati or jasmine rice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
4 Tbsp tomato paste
4 cups water
Soak rice for a half hour. Rinse three times, then set aside.
In a large heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot, warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and garlic and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add the salt and pepper, paprika, cardamom, cinnamon and ginger powder and cook for 3 minutes.
Place the chicken in the pot, breast side up. Coat the chicken with the aromatics and sauté for about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken so that the breast side is down, then continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.
Pour the water into the pot, add the tomato paste and stir well. Allow the chicken to simmer in the tomato broth for about 10 minutes.
Pour the rice into the broth and stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover the pot. Allow pot to simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pot in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Lower the heat to 225°F and cook overnight, about 8-10 hours.
Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.
