Mario Batalis Red Wine Braised Brisket Recipes

RED-WINE BRAISED BEEF BRISKET W. HORSERADISH SAUCE (SARA MOULTON

Steps:

• If using a slow cooker, skip this step entirely: place your oven shelf so your casserole or Dutch oven will be in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Fill a small saucepan with water, and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add the garlic cloves, bring back to a boil, and cook rapidly until slightly softened, about 1 minute.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic to a bowl of ice water and peel when cool enough to handle.
• Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large shallow dish or large platter.
• Coat the brisket on all sides with the seasoned flour and shake off any excess.
• Heat the oil in a large covered casserole or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until almost smoking.
• Add the brisket and sear, turning often, until well browned, about 6 to 8 minutes per side.
• Transfer to a plate or platter and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
• Add the onions and the peeled garlic.
• Reduce the heat to medium and saute, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes.
• Pour in the wine and stir to pick up any browned bits on the bottom of the casserole.
• Stir in the tomato paste and add the bay leaves and thyme.
• Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
• Cook rapidly, stirring often, until almost all the liquid has evaporated.
• At this point, if you're using a slow cooker, transfer the contents of the casserole into the slow cooker, set the cooker for time and temperature, add the chicken stock and the brisket, cover tightly with foil and then your cooker's lid, test for doneness with a fork (see step 20) and meanwhile continue to make the sauce (step 21).
• If not using a slow cooker, pour in the chicken stock and bring back to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the brisket.
• Cover tightly with a piece of foil, then cover the pot with the lid.
• Transfer to the lower third of the oven and cook until a fork comes out easily when pierced, 3 to 4 hours.
• To make the Horseradish Sauce: mix the horseradish, vinegar, mayonnaise, chives, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
• Stir well to blend and season with salt and pepper.
• You should have about 1 cup -- keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
• Transfer the brisket from the casserole (or slow cooker) to a cutting surface and cover loosely with foil.
• Let rest for 15 minutes.
• Gently skim the surface of the liquid in the casserole with a spoon to remove as much fat as possible (or you can pour off [though a sieve] into a gravy separator, let it rest for 10-15 minutes and then pour off most of the fat; putting the separator and liquid into the freezer makes the separation happen even more quickly).
• Remove and discard the bay leaves.
• Thinly slice the brisket on an angle, cutting against the grain.
• Arrange the slices on a warmed serving platter or plate and spoon on some of the horseradish cream.
• Serve warm and enjoy the complements!

MICHAEL SYMON'S RED WINE BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper. Sear in the pan for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove once dark golden brown and set aside.
• Add the onions, carrot, celery and garlic and cook until the vegetables are starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce by half, about 3 to 5 minutes, then add the beef stock.
• Add the brisket back in, along with the thyme and bay leaf, and bring up to a simmer. Place a lid on the pot and cook at a low temperature for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender. Serve the brisket with the sauce and vegetables.

WINE-BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Porcini: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit until rehydrated, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, line a strainer with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Gently squeeze the liquid from the rehydrated mushrooms with your hands and set the mushrooms aside. Pour soaking liquid through the cloth-lined strainer into the bowl. (The cloth will filter out any dirt and sediment from the mushrooms.) Set the soaking liquid aside.
• Vegetables: Cut onions into a large dice. Smash garlic, releasing the peel, then roughly chop; roughly chop mushrooms. Set aside.
• Brisket: In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Season brisket with salt and pepper on both sides. Sear brisket, fat side down, until golden brown, 5-10 minutes. Flip over and sear the other side, about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a roasting pan.
• Braising liquid: Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet, lower heat to medium, and add onions, garlic, mushrooms, rosemary, and bay leaves. Stir in a pinch of salt and sauté until onions are translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add tomato paste, and stir constantly until caramelized, 2-3 minutes. Add red wine and bring to a simmer; cook until the liquid has nearly evaporated, 5-6 minutes. Add reserved porcini soaking liquid and chicken stock. Raise heat to medium-high and bring back to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Pour hot liquid over brisket and cover with foil. Braise in oven for 2-2½ hours, flipping the brisket once halfway through cooking. After 2½ hours, raise heat to 350 degrees F, remove foil, and continue cooking to brown, 30 minutes. Brisket should be very tender when pierced with a skewer.
• Assembly: Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly in braising liquid. Remove to a cutting board and thinly slice across the grain. Pour braising liquid over the meat before serving.

BEEF BRAISED IN BAROLO

Steps:

• Heat the oven, with a rack in the center, to 250°F.
• Season all surfaces of the roast with 1 teaspoon salt. Pour the olive oil into the big pan, and set over medium-high heat. Lay the roast in, and brown it on each side for a minute or two, without moving, until caramelized all over. Remove to a platter.
• Still over medium-high heat, drop in the cut vegetables and garlic cloves, toss to coat with oil, and spread out in the pan. Drop in the rosemary, sage leaves, grated nutmeg, peppercorns, dried porcini, and remaining teaspoon salt, and toss all together. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping up the browned meat bits on the pan bottom, just until the vegetables soften, then lower the heat.
• Push the vegetables to the sides, and return the roast to the pan, laying flat on the bottom. Pour in the three bottles of wine and any meat juices that collected on the platter. The roast should be at least half submerged-add beef stock as needed.
• Cover the pot, and heat until the wine is steaming but not boiling. Uncover the pan, and place it in the oven. After 30 minutes, rotate the roast so the exposed meat is submerged in the braising liquid. Braise this way, turning the meat in the pan every 30 minutes, for about 3 hours, until fork-tender. The liquid should not boil&151;if it does, pour in some cold water to stop the bubbling, and lower the oven temperature.
• After 4 1/2 hours or so, check the beef with a meat thermometer. When its internal temperature reaches 180°F-it should be easily pierced with a fork-take the pan from the oven. Remove the meat to a platter, with intact carrot and celery pieces to serve as a garnish.
• Skim any fat from the braising juices, heat to a boil, and reduce to a saucy consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Pour through a sieve set over a clean container. Press in the juices from the strained herbs and vegetable pieces. Pour in any juices from the meat platter, and season the sauce to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (If you are not going to serve right away, put the meat and reserved vegetables in the sauce to rest and cool, for a couple of hours or overnight.)
• To serve, slice the meat crosswise (easier when it is cool). Pour a shallow layer of sauce in a wide skillet, and lay the slices in, overlapping. Heat the sauce to bubbling, spooning it over the beef, so the slices are lightly coated. Lift them with a broad spatula, and slide onto a warm platter, fanned out. Heat the carrots and celery in the sauce too, if you've saved them, and arrange on the platter. Serve, passing more heated sauce at the table.