Nanny Lilly's Beef Brisket

Brisket just the name makes me drool. Nanny Lilly use to cook the best mouth watering Brisket. This recipe is from her. A good ole' Jewish recipe from the original New York  Nanny. Here are a few tips she taught me.





 


The size will depend on the amount of guest you have. I feed 10 people and use a 4 pound brisket. During the Holiday Season Hanukkah and Christmas are everywhere in our home. We have a lot of people and food so it is not the main course but it is a family favorite. And it will shrink down to half the size. Like all the cooking we do everything is flexible and tweakable.


Ingredients

One 4-5 pounds beef brisket
1 large white onion
2-3 whole garlic cloves
4 cups of beef stock or 2 Au Jus Packs
6 carrots - chopped
6 potatoes - chopped
vegetable or olive oil





Do all your prep work in the pot you are going to cook in. Make sure it is oven safe. I have two that I use. One is my large iron kettle and the other is a large roasting pan.








Prep your brisket. Most of the flavor will come from the broth. I am a true believer that less is more. During the Holidays I like to allow my guest to add their own salt and pepper. Also your broth has plenty of salt if is coming from a package. I make my own beef stock.












Take your Brisket








Make small slits on the top

Stuff one whole garlic clove into each hole.






Set your oven for 375 degreez have it ready. this little guy is going to cook for no less than 4 hours.

First thing to do is brown your onions. Put a small amount of oil into the bottom of the pot and warm. Add your chopped onions saute until they are a golden brown.

Remove from the pot and set aside.




Warm up your pot. The same one you used for your onions. Make sure it is Hot. Drop your brisket in fat side down. Let it sizzle just long enough to get a nice crust. 



This will seal in the flavor when it is cooking and make a nice crust.








I am showing you the color and how it should look once it is cooked on each side. It should take no longer than 5 minutes per side.

Once the beef is browned you will top it with your onions. Pour the Liquid around the brisket. It need to almost cover it. The picture give you the general idea.










Now it is time to pop that baby into the oven. Your oven temperature may vary so if 375 is not hot enough crank it to 400 degrees.











I add the carrots and potatoes the last two hours of cooking other wise you may get mush! Just pull the rack out be careful it is hot and heavy. Add you potatoes and your carrots. Keep an eye on them and keep them wet. This is the time to cover the pot.











I always make my brisket the day prior to serving. This way it can be cold when I slice it. Other wise this perfect little piece of yummieness is going to fall apart.

Put your potatoes and carrot into their seving pan. You can warm it all up while everyone is noshing! Oui'










All sliced and waiting to be covered in broth.

Enjoy this during all your favorite Holiday. Mazel Tov'

Cabbage Soup

Cabbage Soup this is a soup I always went to Brent’s Deli to eat. Well I took the dare and made it myself and it turned out so good.


This cabbage Soup recipe is so delicious!






I pressure canned the soup and (Bonus) entered it in the Fair so I now have this recipe all year long in my pantry.

Ingredients

For the stock:

4 pounds bone-in beef shank
12 cups water
2 onions, peeled

4 stalks celery with leaves

1 bay leaf
16 peppercorns


















This is to make the stock. That is the base for the soup.
 



Combine the beef shanks and water in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a very low simmer. Cook on low for at least 4 hours we want the meat soft and peel right off the bones. This soup is a 2 day task for me but I do know that most people in this century do not have that kind of time. (So buy a crock pot)



Use a strainer to skim off any foam on the surface. Add the whole onions, celery stalks, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Skim the surface occasionally.

Now you need to separate the beef from the stock. Strain the stock. Discard the vegetables but reserve the meat and the stock. Allow the stock to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a covered container and refrigerate. When the beef shanks are cool, remove the meat from the bones. Discard bones and gristle. Dice the meat and place in the bowl holding the stock.




I do realize this is a bit of work but the stock is so important to the taste of the soup. The beef is so tender and delicious it melts in your mouth.  Now let us move on to the ingredients to get the soup made. Get your stock going the day ahead it will cook all day and then the next day the soup ingredients can be added and it will simmer for the flavor you want.

For the soup:

1 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Sweet Paprika
1 head Savory green cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 lemon, juiced you should have a least 1/4 cup more or less depending on your taste
1/4 cup brown sugar – original recipe call’s out for white I like the rich taste of the brown
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste





Now you need to take your stock pot and add all the remaining ingredients.  Cook the soup until the cabbage is soft and the flavor is just what you want.

I cooked this soup for 2 hours and then Pressure Canned for throughout the year. 

Truly Nanny Lilly would be proud !



Here is the link to Pressure Can this soup.