Brisket in Sweet and Sour Sauce

No, I am not Jewish but I sure do love some good Jewish food!  I really miss the knishes I used to get in NYC.  In fact, I ate one every Friday for lunch at my Catholic High School in Queens, New York.  I can't get them here in Maryland.  The ones I have eaten since I moved here twenty years ago have been poor examples of the knish.  For instance, they are round not square.  They aren't deep fried which is probably much better for you but they taste awful. Since I can't do anything about my knish problem short of taking a weekend trip to NYC, I decided to find the best brisket recipe I could.  This one rated number one on a local television station's search for the best brisket recipe.   I made this for a group of 10 people and everyone loved it except for one of my son's friends.  

Brisket in Sweet and Sour Sauce

Prep Time:  15 Mins.

Cook Time:  3 hrs. 30 Mins.

Total Time:  3 hrs. 45 Mins.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, peeled and quartered

1 two-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

6 large cloves garlic

¼ cup Dijon mustard

½ cup dry red wine

1-1/2 cups Coca-Cola or ginger ale

1 cup ketchup

¼ cup honey

¼ cup cider vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

½ cup olive oil

1/3 teaspoon ground cloves

1 Tablespoon coarsely ground pepper or to taste

1 six to seven pound first-cut brisket, rinsed and patted thoroughly dry

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place onion, ginger, garlic, Dijon mustard, red wine, cola or ginger ale, ketchup, cider vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, cloves, and pepper into a food processor or blender , and process with steel blade until smooth.

Place brisket, fat side up, into a heavy baking pan just large enough to hold it, and pour sauce over it.  Cover tightly and bake for 2 hours.  Turn brisket over and bake uncovered for one more hour or until fork-tender.  Cool, cover brisket and refrigerate overnight in cooking pan.

The next day, transfer brisket to a cutting board, cut off fat and cut with a sharp knife against grain, to desired thickness.  Remove any congealed fat from sauce and bring to a boil on top of stove.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Taste sauce to see if it needs reducing.  If so, boil down for a few minutes or as needed.  Return meat to sauce and warm in oven for 20 minutes.  Serve Warm.

Yield:  12 Servings

Recipe Source:  Levana’s Table: Kosher Cooking for Everyone by Levana Kirschenbaum

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook

Mashed Potato Casserole

I made this as a side for Thanksgiving last week.  I really prefer plain old mashed white potatoes but these were pretty good and could be made in advance rather than on the day of an event.  The recipe came from Cooking Light Magazine.

Mashed Potato Casserole
Serves 8

1-1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1-1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1-1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
3/4 cup (6 ounces) 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
4 green onions, thinly sliced

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Place potatoes, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan, and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender.  Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
3.  Place a food mill over a large bowl, and place potato mixture in food mill.  Press mixture through food mill into bowl.  Stir in reserved 1/2 cup cooking liquid, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and cream cheese.
4.  Spoon potato mixture into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
5.  Preheat broiler.
6.  Combine Parmigiano-Reggiano and panko; sprinkle evenly over top of potatoes.  Broil 4 minutes or until golden brown.  Sprinkle with onions.

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook