Author Notes
My dad always served this brisket front and center at Hanukkah. It's a crowd pleaser and feeds many. The juices are also a great dipping sauce for latkes. Saba can be hard to find, so while it lends the meat a characteristic sweetness, balsamic vinegar is a welcome substitute. —Valerio Farris
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Ingredients
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1
brisket (5-6 pounds)
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6
shallots, quartered
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2
large onions, 1/2 inch slices
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3
large carrots, 1 inch pieces
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5
celery stalks, 1 inch pieces
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1/2
bunch herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage
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peel of 1 orange, julienned
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1
cinnamon stick
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1
9 oz. jar of saba
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1 cup
extra virgin olive oil
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2 cups
dry red wine
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1 quart
chicken stock
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sea salt, to taste
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black pepper, to taste
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12
dried apricots
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12
dried figs
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2 ounces
whole almonds
Directions
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Place the brisket in a large baking dish. Add vegetables, herbs, orange peel and cinnamon. Coat evenly with the saba. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
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Heat the olive oil in a large roasting pan. Add vegetables from the marinade; cook for 5 minutes. Place the brisket in the roasting pan and sear over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the marinade (including cinnamon, orange peel and herbs). Deglaze with red wine.
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Add half of the chicken stock and salt & pepper. Place in the oven at 300° for 3 hours. Check after every hour and add more stock if needed until the brisket is fork tender. Add dried fruit and almonds, cover with aluminum foil and cook for 1 hour longer.
Valerio is a freelance food writer, editor, researcher and cook. He grew up in his parent's Italian restaurants covered in pizza flour and drinking a Shirley Temple a day. Since, he's worked as a cheesemonger in New York City and a paella instructor in Barcelona. He now lives in Berlin, Germany where he's most likely to be found eating shawarma.
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