flipBraised Shabbat Brisket
Braised Shabbat Brisket
Why this dish? The profile notes that Copland 'appreciated the Central European cuisine inherited from his Ashkenazi Jewish family origins.' Long-braised brisket is the great dish of holiday meals and Shabbat in this milieu, served when the whole family gathers.
A beef brisket braised for hours with melted onions, until it falls apart at the fork in a dark, deep sauce. The dish of large tables.
Brisket, you see, is not a dish to be rushed. You lay it on its bed of onions, let it simmer gently while the house fills with that smell, and the whole family ends up hovering around the kitchen. It's slow music, a largo: every hour of patience counts. When the meat finally yields under the fork, you know the table is ready to receive.
- •Beef brisket — a nice piece (braising meat)
- •Onions — a lot (sweet base)
- •Chicken fat (schmaltz) or oil — as needed (searing)
- •Garlic — a few cloves (flavor)
- •Bay leaf — 1 to 2 (aromatic)
- •Broth or water — to cover halfway (moisture)
- •Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Braised Shabbat Brisket
A beef brisket braised for hours with melted onions, until it falls apart at the fork in a dark, deep sauce. The dish of large tables.
Why this dish? The profile notes that Copland 'appreciated the Central European cuisine inherited from his Ashkenazi Jewish family origins.' Long-braised brisket is the great dish of holiday meals and Shabbat in this milieu, served when the whole family gathers.
Brisket, you see, is not a dish to be rushed. You lay it on its bed of onions, let it simmer gently while the house fills with that smell, and the whole family ends up hovering around the kitchen. It's slow music, a largo: every hour of patience counts. When the meat finally yields under the fork, you know the table is ready to receive.
Ingredients (period version)
- Beef brisket — a nice piece (braising meat)
- Onions — a lot (sweet base)
- Chicken fat (schmaltz) or oil — as needed (searing)
- Garlic — a few cloves (flavor)
- Bay leaf — 1 to 2 (aromatic)
- Broth or water — to cover halfway (moisture)
- Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Beef brisket (or gîte) — 1.5 kg (braising meat)
- Sliced onions — 4 large (sweet base, sauce binder)
- Neutral oil — 3 tbsp (searing)
- Garlic — 4 cloves (flavor)
- Tomato paste — 1 tbsp (color and depth)
- Beef broth — 500 ml (moisture)
- Bay leaf — 2 (aromatic)
- Sweet paprika — 1 tsp (flavor)
- Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Salt and pepper the meat, sear on all sides in a Dutch oven until well browned, then set aside.
- Slowly cook the onions in the same pot until golden and jammy, add garlic, tomato paste, and paprika.
- Return the meat to the bed of onions, add broth and bay leaf, not fully covering.
- Cover and braise in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 3 to 4 hours, turning the piece halfway.
- Let cool slightly, slice against the grain, return slices to the sauce.
- Reheat gently before serving—brisket is even better reheated the next day.
How it was made : An economical and tough cut, brisket owed its tenderness to hours of slow braising in Jewish kitchens of Eastern Europe, then America. It was often prepared the day before Shabbat, the slow cooking allowing no work on the day of rest.
The contemporary twist : A few prunes and a dash of balsamic vinegar at the end of cooking for a sweet-and-sour contrast that livens up the sauce.
Sources : Joan Nathan, Jewish Cooking in America
Aaron Copland · Charactorium
