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My mother is not much of a cook.
I think she owns 2 cookbooks, one certainly published by the temple sisterhood, circa 1970. The other was probably a gift. I don't recall her ever using either.
Sorry kids, there is no undiscovered trove of Grandma's recipes or words of kitchen wisdom to pass down to the next generation.
She can make a very good noodle pudding and an excellent roasted chicken. But no gravy - that was (and still is) beyond her capabilities.
She had a small repertoire of "specialties" that included roast beef, steak, american chop suey and a "nice brisket". I'm not sure why she called it that. Would she ever serve a not-so-nice brisket?
The brisket was quite good, if you like brisket. It never really excited me. The potatoes were better.
But recently, I needed to make a sort of Hanukkah meal and the first thing I thought of was brisket. I prefer spaghetti and meatballs, but that just doesn't say "festival of lights" to me.
I did not turn to Mom for the recipe, because I doubt there is one.
I turned to these two lovely ladies, the Brass sisters, Marilynn and Sheila.
Their cookbook, Heirloom Cooking, is like having your great-grandmother's recipe box close at hand. If your great-grandma was worldly and an excellent cook. The book is filled with recipes from various cultures and eras, like Crispy Norwegian Potatoes and Shrimp Creole. They were culled from handwritten, genuine passed-down-through-the-family recipes.
Just not my family.
Believe me, the Brass sisters know from a nice brisket.
The gravy is to die for, and I rarely say that about anything that isn't chocolate.
And it cooks for a long, long time, making your house smell wonderful, especially on a snowy day. I served it with roast potatoes and our favorite Brussels sprouts.
The Brass sisters recommend making this a day ahead and reheating it.
Brisket
adapted from Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters
4-5 lb. beef brisket
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tsps. paprika
2 tsps. coarse salt
1 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
2 Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped carrots
2 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 1/2 cups red wine
3/4 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup ginger jam (in most grocery stores)
1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsps. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. hot chilies, finely chopped
1 tsp. prepared mustard (like Dijon)
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line a large roasting pan with foil and coat with vegetable spray.
Rinse brisket under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place brisket in prepared pan, lean side up.
Combine brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub half of mixture over the top of brisket. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and flip brisket so the fatty side is up. Spread remaining seasoning mixture on this side (use the back of a tablespoon). Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot, then cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until needed.
Whisk beef stock, wine, apricot jam, ginger jam, ketchup, tomato paste, chilies and mustard in a large bowl until well blended.
Remove brisket from oven. Pour stock mixture into pan, lifting up the brisket to make sure liquid flows beneath it. Scatter about half the cooked onions and carrots on bottom of pan, and set brisket on top. Spread remaining vegetables and garlic on top of brisket.
Cover pan tightly with foil and reduce heat to 325. Return pan to oven, and bake until fork tender, about 4 hours.
Carefully remove pan from oven. Transfer brisket to platter and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Pour braising liquid into a large clean bowl with a strainer set over it, to catch the onions and carrots. Place onions and carrots into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse several times to puree. Add pureed vegetables back into braising liquid and whisk to blend thoroughly. Store cooled gravy in a covered container in the refrigerator.
When brisket has cooled, cover with foil and refrigerate.
When ready to serve (next day), heat oven to 350. Remove brisket from fridge 1/2 hour before reheating.
Pour about 1 cup of gravy over meat, cover, and reheat for about 40 minutes. Reheat gravy in saucepan over low heat.
Slice against the grain and serve with gravy.
My 100th post!
Wow.
In honor of this milestone, I'm giving away another custom-made Mignardise apron.
If you want it to be yours, just leave me a comment on this post. I'll have my trusty assistant draw a name at random.
True, it's a bribe to get more comments. Totally worth it.
