Mediterranean Brisket Adopted Recipes

MOROCCAN BRISKET WITH OLIVES, TOMATOES, ONIONS, AND PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• With a knife, pierce the skin of the brisket in 5 places and insert the garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy skillet or roasting pan, add the meat, sear on all sides and remove.
• Add 2 more tablespoons of the oil to the same pan and saute 3/4 of the onions (about 6 cups) until they are limp. Add the turmeric, ginger, white pepper, bay leaves, celery, 1/3 of the diced tomatoes, and water to the pan. Stir-fry a minute or 2 and let cool.
• Place the brisket in a baking pan and surround with the cooked vegetables. Roast, covered, in the oven for 3 hours or until a fork goes in and out of the meat easily. Remove, cool and refrigerate, reserving the vegetables. You can prepare this a day ahead of time.
• Tomato-Onion Sauce: Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the frying pan; add the remaining onions and saute until onions are translucent. Then add the remaining diced tomatoes and simmer, covered, for a few minutes. Set aside or refrigerate overnight or until ready to serve the meat.
• When ready to serve, remove any fat that accumulated on the brisket as it cooled. Cut, against the grain, into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Return the slices to the baking pan along with the reserved vegetables in which the meat was cooked. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and reheat the brisket, covered, for about 30 minutes.
• Add to the tomato-onion mixture, olives, preserved lemons and 2 tablespoons each of parsley and cilantro and heat in small saucepan. Remove the brisket and some, or all, of the vegetables to a serving platter and serve, covered with the tomato-onion sauce and garnished with the remaining parsley and cilantro.
• Cut 7 of the lemons lengthwise, almost into quarters, leaving them intact at one end. You can also slice them thin.
• Using your fingers, stuff as much salt as possible inside the lemons, close them, and place in sterilized wide-mouth 2 quart jar. Squeeze the juice of at least 4 lemons into the jar. Allow to stand, half covered, at least 1 week on the counter, shaking the bottle each day, or until the peels sink with the weight of the salt in the jar. Then add a few more salted lemons, lemon juice, and, if you like, olive oil to cover.
• Close the jar and leave out on the counter for at least 3 weeks before using. When using the lemons, merely rinse with water, remove the seeds, and chop up for your recipes. Refrigerate after opening.

MEDITERRANEAN BRISKET *ADOPTED

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the brisket all over with the salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or roasting pan over medium-high heat.
• Brown the brisket on all sides-- 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the meat and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
• Put in the onions, tomato puree, sun-dried tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme and stir well to combine.
• Put the brisket back into the pan and spoon some of the onions and tomatoes over the top.
• Add the stock and the wine and bring to a simmer.
• Cover the pot tightly with aluminum foil and put on the lid to form a tight seal.
• Bake the brisket for 3 1/2 hours or until it's fork-tender.
• Carefully peel back the foil to check.
• (You can also cut off a small slice and taste.) Transfer the meat to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
• De-grease the sauce and taste for salt and pepper.
• To Serve: Cut the meat into 3/8-inch slices, napped with the sauce, or refrigerate it, tightly wrapped, to serve the next day.
• Refrigerate the sauce separately.
• Before serving, remove any congealed fat, then reheat the meat gently in the sauce or in a microwave.