Red Wine-Braised Brisket With Aunt Rifka's Flying Disks

Red Wine-Braised Brisket With Aunt Rifka's Flying Disks

For the brisket:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

One 4- to 5-pound beef brisket, cut crosswise in half

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups thinly sliced onions (from 2 large onions)

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups dry red wine

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth, or more as needed

3 sprigs fresh thyme (may substitute 2 teaspoons dried thyme)

3 Turkish bay leaves

For the disks:

4 large eggs

¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup matzoh meal

For the sauce

6 to 8 tablespoons beef fat (skimmed from the top of the chilled brisket; may substitute 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or a combination of the two)

6 to 8 tablespoons flour (may use a Passover-worthy substitute)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the brisket: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and cook for about 6 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Transfer to a plate.

Add the onions to the pot; reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover; add the garlic and tomato paste, and cook, stirring, 1 minute, then add the wine. Increase the heat to medium-high; cook until the liquid has reduced by half.

Add the broth; once it has heated through, return the meat to the pot, fat side up, along with the thyme and bay leaves. Fit parchment paper directly on the surface of the meat and liquid, then cover with a lid. Transfer to the oven and braise (middle rack) for 3½ to 4 hours or until the meat is fork-tender. Uncover and let the meat and liquid cool for an hour or so, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

For the disks: Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the broth, oil and salt and beat well, then add the matzoh meal, stirring until well incorporated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Use wet hands to create 20 equal portions of the disk mixture (which should have thickened into a scoopable dough). Shape each into an oblong disk, about ½-inch thick. Add the disks to the boiling water; they will soon rise to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 30 minutes. They should increase in size. Drain, cool and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a few days).

For the sauce: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Scoop up and reserve 6 to 8 tablespoons of the fat that has congealed on the chilled brisket. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and then measure the cooking liquid (in a large liquid measuring cup); you should have about 6 cups. If there is more, pour that into a saucepan and boil it down to the right amount; if you have less, add enough broth to make a total of 6 cups. Discard the thyme and bay leaves.

Melt the congealed fat from the brisket (to taste, depending on how thick you like your gravy), in a Dutch oven, over medium-low heat. Add the flour or Passover substitute (to taste) and cook, whisking, for 2 minutes, then gradually add the reserved cooking liquid while you continue to whisk. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, at which time you will see the mixture thicken a bit, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in the mustard; season lightly with salt and pepper.

Trim and discard any remaining fat cap on the brisket. Slice the brisket thin, across the grain, adding it to the Dutch oven as you go. Cover the meat and gravy directly with parchment, as you did before, and cover with the lid. Bake for 40 minutes; during this time, the meat will become even more tender.

Uncover; transfer the brisket slices to a deep serving dish and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Add the cooked disks to the gravy in the pot; cover and cook over medium heat (stove top) for 10 minutes, turning them once.

Serve brisket with the disks, pouring some of the gravy over each portion.

Serves 10

Sara Moulton