Sunday Night Brisket Food

SUNDAY BRISKET AND POTATOES

Steps:

• If necessary, cut meat to fit into a 5- to 6-qt. oval slow cooker. Place meat in cooker. In a small bowl stir together Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar, and 1/4 tsp. of the pepper. Pour over meat, turning meat to coat.
• On a 20x18-inch sheet of heavy foil place potatoes and onions. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp. pepper. Bring up long sides of foil and fold to seal. Roll up short sides to enclose. If necessary, manipulate foil packet to fit into cooker, covering meat completely.
• Cover and cook on low 10 to 12 hours. Remove foil packet and meat, reserving cooking liquid. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Shred meat using two forks, or slice meat. Carefully open foil packet.
• Reserve two-thirds of the meat and half of the potato mixture, cooking liquid, and Tangy Mustard Sauce; store as directed below. Serve remaining meat and potato mixture with remaining cooking liquid and mustard sauce. Tangy Mustard Sauce
• In a small bowl combine light sour cream, Dijon-style mustard, Italian seasoning, and, if desired, snipped fresh thyme. Chill sauce in refrigerator. If desired, before serving, sprinkle with additional snipped fresh thyme. Makes about 1/2 cup. Brisket Sandwiches with Potato Salad
• Preheat oven to 350°F. In a baking dish combine meat and cooking liquid. Bake, covered, 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. (Or reheat in microwave or in a covered skillet on stove-top.) Brush cut sides of buns with mustard sauce.
• For potato salad, cut potato mixture into bite-size pieces and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in celery and herbs. Drizzle with vinaigrette; toss to coat.
• Fill buns with meat and serve with potato salad. Brisket Ragout over Zucchini Noodles
• In a large skillet heat 2 tsp. of the oil over medium-high heat. Add zucchini; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender and slightly golden, gently stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet and cover to keep warm.
• In same skillet heat remaining 2 tsp. oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 3 to 4 minutes or just until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in next five ingredients (through salt). Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 5 minutes.
• Serve meat mixture over zucchini noodles. If desired, top with cheese and basil.

SUNDAY DINNER BRISKET

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir until softened. Sprinkle with garlic and brown sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer to an oval 6-qt. slow cooker., If necessary to fit skillet, cut brisket in half. Sprinkle brisket with flour and shake off excess. In skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Brown both sides of brisket; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker over onions., Add vinegar to skillet; increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and paprika until blended. Pour over brisket. Cook, covered, on low until meat is tender, 8-10 hours., Remove brisket; keep warm. Transfer cooking juices to a saucepan; skim fat and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Return to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes., Cut brisket diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with sauce.

BRISKET WITH CARROTS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the brisket in a heavy roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano. Rub the mixture on the brisket. Pile the carrots, celery, onions, and bay leaves on the brisket and pour in enough tomato juice to come about 3/4 of the way up the meat and vegetables. Cover the top of the pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper, then with aluminum foil. (The tomato juice will react unpleasantly with the aluminum foil if they touch.)
• Bake for 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the pan and keep it warm. Place the pan on 2 burners and boil the vegetables and sauce over medium heat for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.
• To serve, slice the meat across the grain. Serve with the vegetables.

BRUNCH BRISKET

Steps:

• Season both sides of the brisket with the salt and a few turns of pepper.
• In a large skillet or pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sear both sides of the brisket until browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer it to a slow cooker.
• Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the fennel seeds, sage, crushed red pepper, cayenne, thyme, rosemary and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Pour 1/2 cup hard cider into the pan and allow it to loosen any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan (use a spatula to help scrape them up). Pour the whole mixture into the slow cooker. Add the apple, maple syrup, wine, and remaining 1 cup cider to the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or overnight. Remove the brisket to a cutting board and let it sit for 15 minutes. Trim off any excess fat, slice against the grain, and then transfer it to a serving dish. Carefully pour the mixture from the slow cooker on top of the brisket, sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve.

BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• On a cutting board, mash the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt together with the flat-side of a knife into a paste. Add the rosemary and continue to mash until incorporated. Put the garlic-rosemary paste in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil; stir to combine.
• Season both sides of the brisket with a fair amount of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Place a large roasting pan or Dutch oven over medium-high flame and coat with the remaining olive oil. Put the brisket in the roasting pan and sear to form a nice brown crust on both sides. Lay the vegetables all around the brisket and pour the rosemary paste over the whole thing. Add the wine and tomatoes; toss in the parsley and bay leaves. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 3 to 4 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.
• Remove the brisket to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. Scoop the vegetables out of the roasting pan and onto a platter, cover to keep warm. Pour out some of the excess fat, and put the roasting pan with the pan juices on the stove over medium-high heat. Boil and stir for 5 minutes until the sauce is reduced by 1/2. (If you want a thicker sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of wine or water and blend into the gravy).
• Slice the brisket across the grain (the muscle lines) at a slight diagonal. Serve with potato pancakes.
• Using a box grater or food processor, coarsely grate the potatoes and onions. Put the grated potatoes and onions together in cheesecloth or a tea towel and twist it to squeeze out the excess liquid. Put the dry potatoes and onions in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the egg whites and chives to bind the mixture together.
• Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat with 1/4-inch of oil. For each pancake, take about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture and drop into the hot oil; gently flatten with a spatula so they fry up thin and crispy. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove to paper towels to drain; season with salt while the potato pancakes are still hot. Continue frying, adding more oil as needed, until all of the mixture is used up. Serve immediately with apple sauce, if desired.