arts&life

dining in

The Festive Meal

Entree options for

your Passover seder

— and beyond.

Annabell Cohen

Columnist

40

March 23 • 2017

I

n a few short weeks,
we open our homes for
Passover and welcome fami-
ly, friends, people with no place
else to go — and Eliyahu.
As with any holiday repast,
the food during the seder —
and the rest of the holiday —
should be special. After all, it is
called “the festive meal.”
The easiest choice is the
protein. When it comes to
Passover, most people serve
brisket — so popular that a
drought-induced beef shortage
sent the Jewish community into
a panic a couple of years back.
The good news is there is
plenty of beef this year and
people are already buying their
roasts and freezing them in
anticipation of the holiday.
A little something about
brisket: The whole brisket is
a huge, heavy cut of beef. The
kind most of us use for roast
brisket is the top cut. It’s lean
and easy to cut into nice, neat
strips. You don’t find the deckel
(or bottom cut) too often,
unless you buy the whole roast,
but your butcher can get it
for you. It’s juicier and more
tender, due to the fat. Try mak-
ing one recipe with each cut, if
desired.
And if you’re looking for a
good recipe, use the one here
— with just five basic ingre-
dients, it’s the simplest of the

jn

simple to prepare.
If you’re looking for more
than just beef, I’ve included
two chicken recipes plus two
more for vegetarian entrees —
all with just five ingredients
(besides salt and pepper).
Of course, you can add other
ingredients to your recipes as
well — like seasonings and
flavor enhancers (such as gar-
lic, herbs and spices) or other
ingredients, such as chopped
tomatoes to serve over the
chicken or coconut milk to the
spinach.

BRISKET WITH ONIONS

If desired, use red wine instead
of the broth.

2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more
for searing
4 cups chopped onions
3½-4 pounds beef brisket, flat
cut (mostly trimmed)
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black
pepper
4 cups beef broth
1 cup tomato sauce

Heat a deep saute pan or
cast-iron skillet over medium
heat with the olive oil. Add
the onions and cook on medi-
um-low to medium heat, stir-
ring frequently, for 5 minutes.
While the onions are cook-
ing, season the meat gener-

ously with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet or saute
pan over medium-high heat
and add about 2 Tbsp. olive
oil. Sear the brisket until a
golden-brown crust appears
on both sides of the meat.
Remove and place in a roast-
ing pan (or large disposable
aluminum pan), fatty-side up.
Sprinkle the onions around
the brisket (not over). Mix the
broth and tomato sauce and
pour over the onions.
Cover tightly with foil and
cook 3 hours. Let rest out of
the oven until warm. Chill for
several hours to overnight.
Scrape away the layer of fat
that has formed around the
meat and discard.
Place the beef on a cutting
board and cut against the
grain (not along with it — the
beef will be stringy if you cut
in with the grain).
Taste the liquid to see if it is
salty enough. If not, add more
salt to taste (it should be a
little salty or the meat will be
bland).
Heat the oven to 300°F.
Transfer the cut brisket back
into the pan and cover tightly
with a lid or two layers of
foil. Warm in the oven for 2
hours. Remove the foil, adjust
seasoning to taste again and
serve. Makes 8 servings.

LEMON CHICKEN WITH GARLIC
AND GOLDEN RAISINS

2 chickens (about 3½ pounds
each), each cut into 8 pieces
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
Kosher salt and pepper
to taste
1 cup golden raisins
4 cups (1 quart) chicken broth
or stock
½ cup fresh lemon juice

Place chicken in a large
roasting pan (or disposable alu-
minum pan). Drizzle oil over.
Sprinkle with garlic. Season
with salt and pepper. Toss the
chicken to coat and arrange in
a single layer. Roast uncovered
for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the
raisins over. Cover with foil and
cook for 30 minutes more.
Pour the broth, lemon juice
and parsley into a large sauce-
pan. Bring to boil over high
heat. Reduce heat to medium
and simmer until the sauce is
reduced by half. Season to taste
with salt and pepper. Transfer
chicken to a platter. Spoon
sauce over chicken and serve
sprinkled with fresh chopped
parsley or fresh dill if desired.
Makes 8-12 servings.

