Arts&Life

dining in

Intimate Seders

Passover during a 
pandemic means 
fewer guests but 
plenty of fl
 avor. 

T

his spring, almost 
everything is on 
hold because of the 
coronavirus. Gatherings 
are suffering, with most 
lifecycle events being 
canceled or pared way 
down to the mandated 
10 people. With Passover 
coming up fast, many are 
limiting their seder meals 
to immediate family. So, if 
your holiday meals usually 
include 12 to 60 guests (or 
more), this year will most 
likely be more intimate. 
With this in mind, here 
are some recipes for 6-8 
guests. Small but mighty. 

SIMPLE SAVORY 
BRISKET 
I usually prepare ½ pound 
of raw brisket per per-
son. This recipe does not 
require that you sear and 
brown the beef first for 
one less step!

INGREDIENTS:

 2 Tbsp. olive oil

 1 brisket of beef (4-5 

pounds), much of the fat 

trimmed

 2 cups chopped onions

 1 cup finely chopped celery

 1 cup finely chopped carrots

 2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

 Kosher salt and pepper to 

taste

 1 can (28-ounces) diced 

tomatoes with juice

 2 cups red wine, any kind

 2 bay leaves

 Water
 
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325°F. 
Place the raw brisket in a 
large baking dish. Season 
it lightly with salt and 
pepper. Combine the 
onions, garlic, carrots 
and celery in a bowl and 

toss well. Spoon this mix-
ture around the brisket. 
Pour the tomatoes and 
wine over the meat and 
place a bay leaf on each 
side of the beef. Pour 
enough water into the 
pan to reach halfway up 
the side of the beef. 
Cover the baking dish 
tightly with aluminum 
foil and cook in the pre-
heated oven for about 
3 hours. Remove from 
the oven and cool for 30 
minutes before placing 
the entire pan in the 
refrigerator for several 
hours to overnight. 
Remove the chilled 
beef to a cutting board. 
Using an electric knife or 
other sharp knife, slice 
the brisket against the 
grain into thin, ¼-inch 
thick slices. Transfer the 
meat to another baking 
dish and stack it hori-
zontally, overlapping the 
slices slightly (you want 
to shape this to look like 
the roast again). 
Use a spoon to remove 
the solidified fat that’
s col-
lected on top of the meat 
juices. Heat remaining 
juices in a large saucepan 
over medium-high heat. 
Strain the juices and dis-
card the solids. Cook the 
liquid until it is reduced 
by half (this may take up 
to an hour), stirring occa-
sionally. Adjust the salt 
and pepper in the sauce 
to taste at this point. Pour 
the liquid over the brisket 
and cover with foil. (You 
may freeze the brisket at 
this point and thaw a day 
ahead).
To reheat, preheat 
oven to 250°F. Place the 
foil-covered pan in the 

Annabel Cohen
Food Columnist

38 | MARCH 26 • 2020 

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038_DJN032620_AL passover recipes.indd 38
3/23/20 11:11 AM
3/23/20 11:11 AM