In my family Passover was always a fun night. All of the family and many guests who are close to family as non blood can be would congregate and we would have share many laughs as we read the haggadah as a community. Yet the fun would for me as the meal was served. We had turkey at every single Seder and in fact at any family function. After complaining loudly about the turkey one year, my Mother called my bluff and “voluntold” me to make a Brisket for next year. Not knowing where to start, I turned to the internet. Following is the basic recipe that I found, but modified for years on end. This is the first dish I ever really cooked for others and I credit it with the reason I fell in love with cooking.
Ingredients:
A 5 to 6 pound first cut beef brisket
Approximately 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
About 5 cups of yellow onion chopped
3 large cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper
3 cups red table wine
3 cups beef or chicken stock
Matzoh Meal (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy pan in the oven. While the oil is heating, pat the brisket dry and season with salt and pepper. Roast the brisket in the pan uncovered for 30 minutes.
On the stovetop in a large heavy skillet cook all of the onions in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Cook them over high heat stirring until the onions are soft and beginning to turn a nice shade of gold. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until the onions are a deep gold. You may need to reduce the heat some more, and don't forget to stir them occasionally so all the onions get gold (approximately 20 minutes). Stir in the minced garlic, paprika, salt and pepper and cook for one more minute. Stir in 1 ½ cups red wine and 1 ½ cups either chicken of beef stock. Bring to a boil.
Pour the onion mixture over the brisket and bake for 3 ½ hours or until the brisket is tender. Make sure to cover the brisket leaving the lid slightly ajar.
Bring the remaining 1 and ½ cups wine and 1 ½ cups broth to a boil and reserve.
Check on the brisket every 45 minutes to an hour and add some of the wine/broth mixture as needed.
Remove the brisket from the pan, scraping all of the onion mixture back into the pan. Wrap the brisket in foil and chill overnight. Spoon the onion mixture into a 1 quart measuring cup, cover and chill overnight. Store the remaining wine/broth in the refrigerator as well.
A few hours prior to your Seder, preheat the oven to 350.
Take your onion mixture and discard the fat. Spoon the onion mixture into a blender and add water or the remaining wine/broth to measure three cups. Blend the gravy until smooth. If you like a thicker sauce, you can thicken it by adding matzoh meal, if you like a thinner gravy add more liquid. Pour the gravy into large oven proof skillet and heat in the oven until hot. Add thick cut carrots, potatoes, or any other veggies you like with your brisket and cook until almost tender.
Slice the brisket against the grain, and add the brisket. Heat for 30 minutes.
Doug Lynn is the Director of our Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps.
