Brisket is one of the best cuts of meat to serve for a holiday. Brisket can serve a crowd, is relatively economical, and you can cook it ahead. When I cook it ahead, I degrease and cut the brisket into thin slices before I reheat it. The other great thing is, the leftovers are wonderful, and even Nona can chew it.
This recipe yields soft juicy meat enveloped in slightly sweet, garlic infused earthy wine sauce.
When I serve brisket, I always serve a poultry dish as well since many people do not eat red meat.
3 large Spanish onions, slice in rings
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large first cut brisket
Salt
Pepper
6 garlic cloves
12 pitted prunes
1 8 ounce can of kosher for Passover tomato sauce
1/3 cup kosher for Passover brown sugar
1 cup dried mushrooms, such as porcini
2 cups of merlot
1/3 cup kosher for Passover Tamarhindi (optional)
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[3]Preheat a large sauté pan, add the olive oil, and add the sliced onions. As you stir the onions, separate the rings and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the onions until caramelized and then set aside to cool. Place the brisket in a large roasting pan; you can use a throw away aluminum foil pan if you wish.
Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top. If you can not find brown sugar for Passover, use a little white sugar or maple syrup. Scatter the garlic cloves and dried mushrooms around the edges of the brisket. Spread the cooled onions on top of the meat, and then pour on the tomato sauce and Tamarhindi if you have any. Tamarhindi is available in the Syrian Jewish communites on the East Coast and sometimes a Persian variety is availble. It is a sour thick sauce made from tamarind paste. Scatter the prunes around and then lastly pour the Merlot over all.
Cover the pan very tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil, so no steam can escape. Place the brisket in an oven that is preheated to 350º, and cook for three hours.
Slice brisket against the grain.