Around the Passover Table (14 page)

POUR
off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil remaining in the pan, and add the shallots. Sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of the wine, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Boil the mixture until the pan liquid is reduced to a glaze. Add the tomatoes, garlic, rosemary and thyme sprigs,
beef stock
, and the remaining wine. Boil for a few minutes, then lower the heat to a simmer.

SALT
and pepper the brisket to taste on both sides, and add it to the pan, fat side up. Spoon the vegetables and pan liquid all over the meat. Cover the pan tightly (use heavy-duty foil if you don't have a lid for the roasting pan) and place in oven.

BRAISE
the meat, basting with the pan sauce and vegetables every half-hour, for 3 to 3
¹
⁄
₂
hours or more, until the meat is fork-tender.

REMOVE
the pan from the oven and cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate, covered, overnight, in the braising liquid.

WHEN
ready to serve the meat: scrape off all the solid fat from the surface of the meat and braising liquid. Transfer the brisket to a platter and cut into thin slices across the grain at a slight diagonal.

PREPARE
the gravy: warm the braising liquid to room temperature. Remove thyme and rosemary sprigs and discard. In a food processor or a blender in batches, puree the pan solids with some of the braising liquid. Return this mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. If the gravy is too thin, boil it down to desired consistency over high heat. Stir in the rosemary and thyme leaves.

RETURN
the sliced brisket to the pan and reheat slowly, either on top of the stove or in a 325°F oven, until heated through.

ARRANGE
the meat on a serving platter with some of the gravy spooned over the meat. Pass the rest of the gravy in a sauce boat at the table.

Moroccan-Flavored Brisket with Dried Apricots and Prunes

yield:
8 generous servings

Each bite of this brisket embraces a concatenation of flavors. It begins with the tangy apricot paste studded directly into the meat, the more mellowed fruit of the pan sauce, then the slow-braised tender shreds of the meat itself. And it ends with a burst from gremolata-like mint, ginger, and garlic or a scatter of fresh cilantro.

But such fabulous fare requires time—though most of it unattended. The studding will more deeply flavor the meat if given several hours to penetrate. And when the brisket has finished braising, it should sit in the pan sauce overnight, so it can drink back the juices it gave up during the cooking process. Preparing the brisket in advance also simplifies defatting the gravy: the congealed fat can just be lifted off.

Of course, starting the brisket a couple of days before the seders affords you that much more time for the rest of your holiday menu.

1 tablespoon chopped garlic, plus 6 large garlic cloves, peeled

¹
⁄
₃
cup chopped dried apricots, plus
¹
⁄
₃
cup quartered (tart California apricots work best here)

3
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons ground cumin, preferably freshly toasted and ground

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground cinnamon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

A first- or second-cut beef brisket, 4 to 5 pounds, trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups chopped onion

2 medium carrots, scraped and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon cayenne

1 cup dry red wine

3 cups
Beef Stock
or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

²
⁄
₃
cup pitted prunes, quartered

FOR THE GREMOLATA (OPTIONAL)

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

¹
⁄
₂
cup chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon pressed garlic

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Optional garnish (instead of gremolata): chopped fresh cilantro

Accompaniment:
Potato-Leek Matzoh Balls
or mashed potatoes

IN
a blender or mini processor, pulse the chopped garlic, chopped apricots, 1 teaspoon of the cumin, the cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, and
¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon black pepper to a coarse puree. Make a slit in the fat side of the brisket with the point of a sharp knife. Insert a little of the puree into the slit, using your fingers and the knife tip to push it in as far as possible. Insert some of the puree in the same way in slits all over the top, bottom, and sides of the brisket, spacing the slits out as evenly as you can. Reserve any remaining puree. If you have time, put the brisket in a large, plastic resealable bag or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours, so the flavorings can penetrate the meat.

PREHEAT
the oven to 275°F.

SCRAPE
any puree that may have seeped out off the surface of the meat. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven, ovenproof casserole, or flameproof roasting pan large enough to accommodate the meat snugly. (If using a roasting pan, you may need to set it over two burners.) Add the brisket and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Sear to caramelize the meat, but don't let it develop a hard, brown crust, which might make the meat tough or bitter. Transfer to a platter fat side up and set aside. (Or sear under the broiler: place the brisket fat side up, on a foil-lined broiler pan, under a preheated broiler. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Move the meat around as necessary, so it sears evenly.)

POUR
off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the pan. Add the onions, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until softened and gold. Add the whole garlic cloves, carrots, and chopped ginger, and sauté 3 minutes. Add the remaining cumin, the coriander, and cayenne, and stir 30 seconds. Add the wine and boil, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the pan bottom, until the liquid is reduced almost to a glaze. Add the stock and bring to simmer.

SPREAD
any reserved apricot mixture over the brisket, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and add the meat to the pan. Cover (use heavy-duty foil if you don't have a lid) and oven-braise 3 to 4 hours, or until fork-tender, basting with pan juices every half-hour. About 30 minutes before you estimate the meat is done, stir in the quartered apricots and prunes.

COOL
the brisket in the pan sauce, cover well with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Scrape off all solid fat and discard. Remove the brisket from the pan and slice thinly across the grain.

IF
you are using the gremolata, combine the ingredients in a small bowl.

BRING
the gravy to a boil. If it is too thin, boil down to desired consistency. (You can also thicken the gravy by pureeing some of the pan solids with a little pan liquid in a food processor or blender. Return this puree to the pan of gravy and bring to a simmer.) Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the gremolata, if desired.

RETURN
the sliced brisket to the gravy in the pan and simmer until heated through. If you are not using the gremolata, sprinkle with the cilantro. Serve with
Potato-Leek Matzoh Balls
or mashed potatoes.

Beet-Braised Pot Roast with Horseradish and Potato Knaidlach

yield:
8 to 10 servings

When the Purim revelries had passed, cooks in the Ukraine and northern Poland turned their attention to the long process of preparing
rosl
. They placed beets in earthenware crocks, covered them with fresh cold water, and let them slowly ferment, skimming the froth and foam weekly. A month later, a tangy, vegetal beet essence perfumed the shtetls, and the clear scarlet
rosl
was at last ready to be braised with pot roast and served as the popular Passover main course, roslfleisch.

With my cramped little kitchen and bulging closets, I've never had a place to secrete a pot of fermenting beets for more than a day or two. So I substitute a delicious fresh beet soup or even jarred borscht as the braising liquid. To replace the tart, beautifully nuanced flavor of the traditional
rosl
, I add a bit of sour salt and freshly grated horseradish, which throws off its clean bite when cooked and blooms with complex earthiness.

Tender, homey potato knaidlach, or dumplings, echoing the horseradish flavor, soak up the wonderful sauce the meat provides. To make them, I use prepared horseradish because the texture of freshly grated would be too coarse and woody, and the vinegar in the prepared kind preserves more of the kick, even after cooking.

FOR THE POT ROAST

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A 3 to 4 pound boneless chuck eye roast (I've found that this produces the most succulent pot roast, but if unavailable, chuck shoulder or other boneless chuck roast will make a very good dish too), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel and patted dry

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 very large onion, chopped (2 to 3 cups)

4 or 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 flavorful, tart-sweet apples (such as McIntosh, Northern Spy, or Cortland), peeled, cored, and cut into large dice

4 cups beet borscht, preferably
homemade
, or good-quality bottled (if using bottled, strain out any pieces of cooked beet and discard or reserve for another use)

2 Turkish bay leaves

2 to 4 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish, plus additional for garnish (see Cook's Note)

Sour salt (available in Middle Eastern and European markets and specialty stores; optional)

FOR THE BEETS AND KNAIDLACH

1 pound fresh beets

6 large or 8 medium russet (baking) potatoes, (about 3 pounds) scrubbed but not peeled

2 large eggs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 1
¹
⁄
₂
cups matzoh meal

About
¹
⁄
₃
cup prepared white horseradish, drained

MAKE
the pot roast: rub salt and pepper to taste into the meat. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or wide, heavy pot. Add the meat and brown it well on all sides. Transfer it to a platter.

WIPE
out the pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until softened and golden at the edges, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and apples, and sauté, lifting and turning the ingredients for 5 minutes longer. Add the borscht and bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling for about 5 minutes to reduce the mixture slightly and concentrate the flavors. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting, add the meat, and spoon the vegetable-fruit mixture all over it. Cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly askew, and simmer the meat until it can be easily pierced with a fork and its juices are clear or palest rose. This could be anywhere from 2 to 3 hours or more, depending on the thickness of the meat. Turn the meat every 20 minutes or so, using spoons to avoid piercing it. Make sure the liquid is gently simmering, the bubbles just barely breaking—if needed, use a flame tamer
(blech)
or stack two burner grates together to maintain a very low flame.