20 Clove Brisket Food

BRAISED BRISKET WITH THIRTY-SIX CLOVES OF GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Drop the garlic cloves into a small saucepan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain immediately. Peel as soon as the garlic is cool enough to handle. Set aside on paper towels to dry.
• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan or casserole large enough to accommodate the meat in one layer. Use two burners, if necessary. Add the brisket and brown well on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the brisket to a platter and set aside. (Or brown the meat 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 browned. Don't allow it to develop a hard, dark crust, which might make the meat tough or bitter. Move the meat around as necessary, so it sears evenly.)
• Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat remaining in the pan and add the garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic edges are tinged with gold. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the stock, thyme, and rosemary sprigs, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Salt and pepper the brisket to taste on all sides, and add it to the pan, fat side up. Spoon the garlic cloves over the meat.
• Place the brisket in the oven, cover (if you have no lid, use heavy-duty foil), and cook, basting every half-hour, until the meat is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours or longer. (As the meat cooks, periodically check that the liquid is bubbling gently. If it is boiling rapidly, turn the oven down to 300°F.)
• The brisket tastes best if it is allowed to rest, reabsorbing the juices lost during braising, and it's easiest to defat the gravy if you prepare the meat ahead and refrigerate it until the fat solidifies. That is the method I use, given here, but the gravy can be prepared by skimming the fat in the traditional way, if you prefer. If you go that route though, do let the meat rest in the pan sauce for at least an hour.
• Cool the brisket in the pan sauce, cover well with foil, and refrigerate until the fat congeals. Scrape off all solid fat. Remove the brisket from the pan and slice thinly across the grain.
• Prepare the gravy: Bring the braising mixture to room temperature, then strain it, reserving the garlic and discarding the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Skim and discard as much fat as possible from the liquid. Puree about one half of the cooked garlic with 1 cup of the defatted braising liquid in a food processor or a blender. (If you want a smooth gravy, puree all of the cooked garlic cloves.) Transfer the pureed mixture, the remaining braising liquid, and the rest of the cooked garlic to a skillet. Add the chopped rosemary, minced garlic, and lemon zest. Boil down the gravy over high heat, uncovered, to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Rewarm the brisket in the gravy until heated through.
• Arrange the sliced brisket on a serving platter. Spoon some of the hot gravy all over the meat and pass the rest in a separate sauce boat.

CHICKEN BRAISED WITH 20 CLOVES OF GARLIC

Steps:

• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Separate head of garlic into individual cloves. Add to boiling water and cook 1 1/2 minutes, or until skin peels off easily. Drain and rinse briefly under cold running water. Peel garlic cloves. Trim any pieces of fat or extra skin from chicken; rinse pieces and pat dry. Season liberally with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and saute until skin is nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully holding lid against pan, pour off all but a thin film of fat. Turn chicken over and sprinkle onion between pieces. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Pour in wine and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits on bottom or around sides of pan. Boil until wine is reduced to 2 or 3 tablespoons, about 2 minutes. Scatter garlic around chicken, season with thyme and pour broth into pan. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 25 minutes, or until chicken is very tender. Remove chicken and half of garlic cloves to a deep platter or serving dish. Skim fat off sauce in pan. Pour sauce into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. If sauce is too liquid, pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water and stir into sauce. Cook, stirring, 1 minute, until slightly thickened. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste. Pour over chicken and serve.

FORTY CLOVE DUTCH OVEN BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Season brisket liberally on both sides with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
• Heat a large skillet(that can be placed in oven)or Dutch oven with a lid over medium-high heat on stove top. Add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Sear both sides of brisket fat-side down first, until golden brown. Remove to a sheet pan.
• Add garlic cloves and onion rings to the remaining oil in the pan. Cook and stir until garlic begins to turn golden and sweet onions are limp and lightly colored.
• Add red wine and deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add beef stock, tomato paste, bay leaves, basil and oregano. Bring back to a simmer, then turn off heat. Move garlic and onions to the side and return brisket to the skillet. Spoon garlic and onions over the top of the brisket, cover tightly, and place in the oven.
• Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees F. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake an additional 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until brisket is fork-tender. Remove brisket to a platter and cover with foil to rest for 10 minutes.
• Remove half of of garlic cloves and most of onions to a bowl. Skim off excess oil from the pan gravy and discard. Blend pan gravy and remaining garlic until smooth in a food processor. You can add a little cornstarch slurry(cornstarch whisked with a little water) to thicken gravy, by bringing it back to the stove and returning to a boil. Return reserved whole garlic cloves and onions to the gravy.
• Slice brisket diagonally across the grain. Serve with pan gravy. Enjoy!