SEPTEMBER 19 • 2024 | 33
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1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 large sweet onions, sliced

Fresh mint leaves and pomegranate

seeds (optional, for garnish)

Directions
Rinse the brisket and pat dry,
then place in a ceramic or glass
oven-safe roasting dish with fatty
layer on the bottom. In a small
mixing bowl, whisk pomegran-
ate molasses, ¼ cup olive oil,
minced garlic cloves, cinnamon,
salt and cayenne pepper.
Pour half of the marinade over
the top of the brisket, making
sure the entire surface is cov-
ered in an even layer. Turn the
brisket over so the fatty side is
on top and pour the other half
of the marinade over the brisket
so both sides are evenly coated.
Cover the dish with plastic wrap
and marinate in the refrigerator
overnight, or up to two days.
When ready to cook, preheat
your oven to 300°F. Stir ¼ cup
of water into the marinade at
the bottom of the roasting dish
to make it more liquid. Heat 2
tablespoons of olive oil in a large
skillet over medium heat. Place
sliced onions into the hot skillet.
Saute the onions for 10-15 min-
utes, scraping up the brown bits
as the onions cook. When onions
are nicely browned and caramel-
ized, pour them over the top of
the brisket along with the brown
bits and oil from the skillet. Use
a spoon to scoop up some of the
marinade from the bottom of the
dish; spoon marinade over the
top of the onions.
Cover the roasting dish with
foil. Place brisket in the oven and
let it slowly roast for 4-5 hours. It
will take about 1 hour per pound
of meat (leaner cuts of meat may
take longer — test for doneness).
If your cut of brisket is very lean,
you may need a little more water
to keep it moist while it cooks.
Check halfway through cook-
ing and add more water to the

bottom of the dish, if needed.
The brisket will shrink by about
one-third in size as it cooks. The
brisket is ready when it flakes
tenderly. You can let it cook even
longer if you like a soft, shred-
ded texture.
Scrape the cooked onions off
the top of the brisket. Reserve.
Remove brisket from the pan
and place it on a cutting board.
Cover the brisket with foil to
keep it warm. Let it rest for
20-30 minutes before slicing; this
will allow the juices to distribute
through the meat. Strain the
pan drippings from the roasting
pan into a saucepan and allow
to cool. Once the pan drippings
have cooled slightly, you will see
the clear fat rise to the surface of
the liquid. Skim as much of this
fat off the surface as you can.
Use an immersion blender
to blend the reserved onions
into the cooking liquid. This will
thicken the sauce and add flavor.
If you’d like a stronger, more
pronounced pomegranate flavor,
you can also blend in an addi-
tional 1 tablespoon of pomegran-
ate molasses (optional). Warm
the sauce in a small saucepan
on the stovetop. Season with salt
and pepper to taste.
Cut the fat cap off the brisket,
then cut the brisket in thin slices
against the grain. Place brisket
slices onto a serving dish. Pour
the warmed sauce over the
brisket slices. Garnish with fresh
pomegranate arils and fresh
mint, if desired.

TZIMMES CHICKEN WITH
APRICOTS, PRUNES AND
CARROTS
From Anna Stockwell
Serves 8-10. Meat

Ingredients

2 whole chickens (about 4 pounds),

broken down into 8 pieces, wings and

backbones reserved for another use

4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. honey

½ cup olive oil

½ cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

2 pounds carrots, preferably young

carrots with greens attached, halved

lengthwise, or quartered, if large

1 large red onion, cut into ½-inch

wedges

12 garlic cloves, peeled

8 ounces dried apricots (about 1½ cups)

8 ounces dried prunes (about 1½ cups)

20 sprigs thyme

1½ cups dry white wine

Parsley leaves with tender stems

(optional, for serving)

Directions
Arrange racks in top and lower
thirds of oven; preheat to 400°F.
Season chicken pieces with 2
tsp. salt.
Whisk honey, oil, lemon juice,
pepper, cinnamon, cumin, cay-
enne and the remaining 2 tsp.
salt in a large bowl. Add chicken
pieces, carrots, onion, garlic,
apricots, prunes and thyme and
toss to combine. Divide every-
thing but chicken between 2
rimmed baking sheets. Stir wine
and ½ cup water in a 2-cup mea-
suring cup, then pour half over
each sheet.
Cover sheets tightly with foil.
Roast 15 minutes, then remove
from oven. Remove foil, divide
chicken between sheets and
continue to roast, rotating sheets
top to bottom halfway through,
until carrots are fork-tender,
chicken is golden brown, and
an instant-read thermometer
inserted into the thickest part of
a breast registers 165°F, 30-35
minutes (if some pieces of chick-
en are finished before others,
transfer them to a serving plat-
ter).
Transfer chicken mixture to
serving platter. Pour pan juices
over. Top with carrot greens or
parsley before serving.
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