Category: Main Dish

From The New York Times Passover Cookbook, edited by Linda Amster

Once cooked, the brisket is shredded and returned to its wine-based sauce to absorb even more flavor. It may be made a day ahead and reheated. Chef Wine likes to serve this with his Spicy Tomato Sauce (recipe follows) and his Vegetable-Matzoh “Salad” (pg. 65).

6 lb beef brisket, cut in 1 1/2-inch squares
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup peanut oil
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 whole leek, trimmed, washed and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 tablespoons pureed garlic
1 onion, chopped
2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon
12 cups good veal or chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1/2 cup cognac

1. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat half of the peanut oil in a skillet. Add the meat and cook over medium-heat until browned on all sides. Remove the meat and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the same skillet, lower heat to medium and ligtly brown the carrot, leek, celery, garlic and onion. Remove the vegetables, and add 1/3 cup of the red wine to deglaze the pan.
3. Place the meat, vegetables and deglazed juices in a stockpot. Add the remaining ingredients with the exception of 2 tablespoons of Cognac. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 2 hours.
4. Remove the meat, and using a fork, split apart to shreds. While doing this, allow the sauce to reduce over low heat, uncovered, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Adjust the seasoning, and return the meat to the sauce. You can do this much a day or so ahead. When ready to serve, reheat if necessary.
5. Add the remaining Cognac and serve mounded up on a platter. If desired, surround by matzoh “salad” and pass the spicy tomato sauce.

makes 10-12 servings

From The New York Times Passover Cookbook, edited by Linda Amster

2/3 cup olive oil
4 pounds plum tomatoes, sliced 1/3 inch thick
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
3 fresh jalapenos or other hot peppers, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Drizzle a little olive oil on a cookie sheet, and place the sliced tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and lay the thyme and half the sliced peppers evenly over the tomatoes.
3. Bake for 40 minutes until the tomatoes are concentrated, dryish and wrinkled.
4. Puree the tomatoes with the thyme and the cooked peppers in a food processor, adding the remaining olive oil slowly. Strain this mixture through a fine strainer.
5. Add as much of the remaining peppers as needed to suit your taste. Puree and serve at room temperature as a sauce.

makes 2 cups

Spice-Rubbed Cornish Hens with Haroseth Stuffing and Sherry Jus
Gourmet April 2009

yield: Makes 8 servings
active time: 30 min
total time: 1 1/2 hr

Typically a ceremonial dish, haroseth becomes an inspired stuffing—dark and sweet—for Cornish hens seasoned seductively with allspice, cinnamon, cumin, and paprika. The tender meat and haroseth taste wonderful splashed with the rich jus (the Sherry is a nod to Spain), but we love the extra dimension added by the bright salsa verde, too.

1 tablespoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 (1 1/4-to 1 1/2-pounds) Cornish hens
1 ⅓ cups apricot, date, and pistachio haroseth
1 cup medium-dry Sherry
1 cup water
* Accompaniment: parsley mint salsa verde

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

Whisk together spices, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and oil in a small bowl.

Pat hens dry and stuff cavity of each with 1/3 cup haroseth. Place hens in a large flameproof roasting pan and rub all over with spice mixture, including underneath skin of breast meat (loosen skin gently with your fingers). Tuck wings underneath body, then secure legs together with a wooden pick or tie with kitchen string.

Roast hens 20 minutes, then brush with pan drippings. Continue to roast, basting every 10 minutes, until juices run clear when a thigh is pierced, 25 to 30 minutes more (45 to 50 minutes total). Transfer hens to a cutting board.

Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners and boil drippings, scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Carefully add Sherry (it may ignite) and boil 2 minutes (or until flames subside). Add water and boil, stirring, until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to a measuring cup and let stand 1 minute, then skim off fat (or use a fat separator).

Serve hens, halved if desired, with sauce on the side.

What to drink:
Yarden Galilee
Cabernet Sauvignon ’05

Apricot, Date, and Pistachio Haroseth

yield: Makes about 3 cups
active time: 15 min
total time: 15 min

Haroseth—a thick condiment of fruit, nuts, and wine—symbolizes the mortar the Israelites used in Egypt. Roberts’s particular mix of almonds, pistachios, dates, and dried apricots, reflective of the Middle East, is outstanding (note that we prefer the sweet-tart complexity of California/Pacific apricots to the bland sweetness of Turkish ones). Enjoy leftover haroseth slathered on matzos or crackers; we discovered it’s great with Manchego cheese as well.

⅔ cup whole almonds with skin, toasted and cooled
⅔ cup unsalted shelled pistachios
1 cup dried apricots (preferably California/Pacific), coarsely chopped (5 ounces)
⅔ cup pitted dried dates, coarsely chopped
½ cup cream Sherry
1 (3- by 1/2-inch) strip orange zest, finely chopped (1 teaspoon)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon cayenne

Pulse nuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add dried fruit and pulse until chopped. Add Sherry, zest, and spices and pulse until incorporated.

Cooks’ notes: •If dried fruit isn’t soft, soak in boiling-hot water 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry before proceeding.
•Haroseth can be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Parsley Mint Salsa Verde

yield: Makes about 2 cups
active time: 15 min
total time: 35 min

This salsa verde, which balances a meal full of spiced dishes, would also complement anything from grilled steak to steamed vegetables.

⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup Sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped shallot
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
¾ cup chopped mint

Whisk together oil, vinegar, water, garlic, shallot, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until salt has dissolved. Whisk in herbs. Let stand 20 minutes for flavors to develop.

Cooks’ note: Salsa verde can be made 30 minutes ahead and kept at room temperature.