Sunday, September 30, 2012

Guest Post – Holiday Brisket

If Sunday dinner in your house usually consists of a roast, consider cooking brisket instead! Here’s a recipe from One Hungry Dude – he’s singing the praises of Tori Avey too.

In the lead up to Rosh Hashanah, Sarah introduced me to a great website, The Shiksa in the Kitchen. Tory Avey, a food writer and recipe developer, has appeared on numerous television shows, and her website earned the IACP People's Choice Award 2012 Best Culinary Website. It's easy to see why. She has countless recipes, and plenty of culinary advice on the site — and it's relevant whether you're looking for a great new recipe, or a relative newcomer to the cooking world. This is a slightly modified version of her Holiday Brisket. It looked so delicious, I really only wanted to tinker with the original recipe. I made the right choice, because everyone at the table raved about the flavour and tenderness of the brisket.


Next week, I'll teach you an incredibly simple and delicious recipe for the leftovers.

holiday brisket
Ingredients
• 4 to 5 pound brisket
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large can tomatoes, whole, diced, or crushed
• 5 peeled whole garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 cups vegetable broth, divided
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced
• 1 pound carrots, washed and sliced
• 8 to 10 Button mushrooms, sliced
• Splash of red wine


Preheat oven to 300 F. Rinse the brisket and pat dry. Rub both sides of the meat with black pepper and salt. Heat a large skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil into the pan. Brown the brisket on both sides, it will take four to five minutes per side.


While brisket is browning, pour canned tomatoes, garlic, brown sugar, vinegar, 1 1/2 cups broth, bay leaves and Worcestershire into a blender or food processor. Add salt and black pepper. Pulse till garlic is chopped small and all ingredients are combined.


Remove the browned brisket from the skillet. Drizzle 2 tbsp more olive oil in the pan and add the sliced onions. Saute them over medium high for a few minutes until they begin to soften and shrink in size. Add the carrot and mushrooms, and saute for five to six minutes, until the onions are caramelized and the vegetables are fragrant.
Pour the vegetables out of the skillet and onto a plate, reserve. Pour 1/2 cup of the broth and a splash of wine into the skillet, and let it heat up. Use a spatula to scrape up any brown bits that are clinging to the skillet. Turn off heat.


Pour half of the tomato mixture into a large roasting pan. Place brisket on top of the tomato sauce, fat cap facing up. Pour the sauteed vegetables across the top of the brisket, along with the broth and brown bits. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the top of the vegetables and brisket.


Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil, tenting slightly so there is no contact between the foil and the ingredients inside. Place the pan in the preheated oven. Let it roast undisturbed for four to five hours (about an hour per pound). The brisket is done when it flakes tenderly after being pierced with a fork.


Remove brisket from the pan and let it rest on the cutting board fat-side up, for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the sauce and vegetables from the roasting pan into a smaller saucepan. Skim fat from the surface of the cooking sauce, then reheat the sauce till hot (not boiling). Cut the fat cap off the brisket, then cut the brisket in thin slices against the grain. Serve topped with the tomato sauce and softened vegetables.


— This recipe was inspired by Tory Avey, The Shiksa in the Kitchen

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