Slow Cooked Brisket in Red Wine

While I often eat vegetarian during the week, for a special dinner this recipe for Slow Cooked Brisket in Red Wine is a favorite. Traditionally a choice for the Jewish New Year, this brisket is perfect for family and friends getting together for any holiday or special occasion. Slow cooking it for three hours in red wine makes the tender meat fall apart and the ketchup (yes ketchup!) creates a fabulous slightly sweet, slightly piquant flavor. And if you are lucky enough to have leftovers, the slices of brisket make excellent sandwiches. You can make the brisket ahead of time and freeze it for future meals. Recipe is below.

Foodie Lit

Slow Cooked Brisket in Red Wine

Serves 8

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

2 medium potatoes chopped (peel if desired. I left the peel on.)

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved

1 2½-pound beef brisket, thick-cut

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon ground basil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup ketchup

1½ cups dry red wine or broth

1½ cups water

2-3 sprigs parsley for garnish

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Add olive oil to a heavy oven proof pan. I used a cast iron casserole. Heat over medium heat.
Add onions and sauté until onions become translucent. Add potatoes and mushrooms, cooking for about 8 minutes, stirring so that the vegetables don’t stick. Add garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Remove from pan and reserve.
Rinse brisket, pat dry and place in roasting pan.
Rub paprika, basil, salt and pepper onto both sides of brisket.
Place onions, mushrooms, potatoes and garlic over meat.
In a medium bowl, mix together ketchup, wine, and water. Pour over brisket.
Cover pot with aluminum foil and then place pot’s cover on top.
Bake at 325°F for 3 hours. Check midway through baking to make sure there is enough liquid. Add more water or broth if needed.
Remove from oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing the meat against the grain. Serve warm and garnished with parsely, with liquid poured over meat or served in a gravy dish.

Expandthetable sugggestions

Wine free: Use broth instead.

Adapted from Joy of Kosher.

Four teenage girls confront hatred, corruptness, violence and death. Each girl exists within her identities. Caroline and her younger sister Dotty are white and Christian. Pearlie is black and Christian. And Anne Frank, a Jewish teenager during her years in hiding and in concentration camps, hovers at the edge, influencing the girls and the reader. Mr. Rabinowitz, Holocaust survivor and owner of "The Jew Store," the town’s conscience, is a support for the girls in this small Texas town in the 1950's.

All of the characters of Colors of Truth have seen or experienced hate and violence. Paula Paul’s depiction is well written with a depth and elegance of writing that draws the reader in with a surprising conclusion.

Review & Recipe