A Brisket, a Brasket...Recipe

Truthfully there is absolutely nothing like my mother's brisket. It's made on usually three - maybe four - occasions in a year: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover and sometimes Hanukkah. Each time we have it it's like eating it for the first time - and this is something I have eaten nearly four times annually since I'm about...2 years old. My children and my husband know it as "grandma's brisket" and if you've ever had it then you know it is unreal.

This is only the second time I've ever made it - and really it's incredibly simple. What you wind up with is the softest meat with intensely rich flavor. I suggest you make this at least once in your life - but watch out cause once you do, you'll want to make it often!

Linda's Brisket of Beef
2 lbs. thin cut brisket, patted dry
2 Tbsp. butter
1 envelope of Lipton's Onion Soup mix
2 cups of dry red wine
2 cups carrots, coarsely chopped into 2" pieces
1 10 oz. pkg. white button mushrooms
parsley, chopped, to taste and for garnish
salt, pepper
1/2 cup flour

In a large bowl, combine salt, pepper, and flour well. Dredge the beef into the flour and shake off any excess flour.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large dutch oven, melt butter until foamy over medium high heat. Add the meat and brown well on all sides - about 5 minutes per side. Remove the beef from the pot and add the soup mix and stir well until paste begins to form. Add the wine and scrape up all the browned bits. Allow wine to boil about 5 minutes. Place the beef back into the pot and let it soak up the wine about 2 minutes per side. Cover with a tight fitting lid and place in the middle of the oven. Let cook about 2 1/2 hours. Turn the meat halfway through the cooking time.

With about 1 hour remaining, saute the carrots and the mushrooms in a large pan over medium high heat for about 6-8 minutes or until they brown. Add them to the pot and mix them into the sauce and over the beef and allow them to cook through to the end. Add a bit of chopped parsley and stir the sauce well. Remove the beef and slice into thin strips and add them back to the pot and cover with the sauce. Allow the brisket and vegetables to cool for another hour or so and then place into the refrigerator. The following day, reheat the brisket and serve.