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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