Blending holidays

I’ve had some cooking adventures lately, exploring dishes that ordinarily I would never make, and I credit the pandemic with helping me stretch my skills. After I posted about a chicken loaf, a friend sent me the recipe for a tuna loaf—loved it, even if I did substitute scallions for the green olives which I cannot abide. And I made a stir-fry with ground pork and asparagus—whole family loved it. My takeaway was that it’s really hard to mince fresh ginger!

But my greatest culinary coup of the week was something I didn’t cook but provided directions for. When my daughter asked what we should cook for Easter dinner in isolation, I suggested what I consider the stand-bys—a ham or a leg of lamb. She doesn’t like ham, and Christian didn’t like the idea of lamb. I settled on a brisket, which to me is a Passover dish. I joked about a Passover brisket for Easter, but it seemed pretty ecumenical to me. And  rather than a new dish, it was one that brought back long-ago memories.

Years ago, in what seems like another life, I was married to a Jewish man whose mother made a delicious brisket. I thought I remembered how she did it, but checked with my brother-in-law, with whom I am still close. He complained he only eats it; his wife cooks it. So I consulted with her, and she confirmed I was remembering it correctly.

Next problem: I do not have a stove or oven. Grandma Bernice did this in my big old electric skillet—I think we have it still, but I’m not sure where it is. One of the wonderful, heavy ones before they were all lined with Teflon. But I can’t cook two things at once in the cottage without tripping a circuit breaker. So we decided Christian would cook the brisket, and I’d do the scalloped potatoes.

1 brisket, 3.5 - 5 lbs. (partly depends on size of your skillet)

3-4 cloves garlic

Salt, pepper, and paprika

1 good-sized onion, sliced into rings

Beef bouillon

Flour and water

The night before slice garlic cloves into small slivers; make random cuts all over brisket and insert garlic slivers. Rub the meat generously with salt, pepper, and paprika on both sides. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning, slice onion and sauté in vegetable oil (use the skillet you will use for the meat). When onion is soft and translucent, remove to a plate. Using the same oil, sear the meat on both sides. When done, pile the onions on top and add enough bouillon to come almost to the top of the meat.

Cover and cook in a 225 oven for eight hours or simmer in a covered electric skillet. (Christian browned it in his cast iron skillet and then put the whole thing in the oven.).

Let the meat rest while you make gravy. There will be a lot of broth, so you may want to set some aside for another use—like soup. I make gravy the way my mom taught me: take a pint jar with a tight-fitting lid and fill halfway with cold water. Dump in a good amount of flour (you can see how precise this is) and shake like mad till you have a smooth mixture.

Gradually stir flour mixture into broth; bring to a gentle boil and let it thicken, adding more flour and water as needed until you have the consistency you want.

Slice the meat across the grain. Serve gravy alongside.

And the scalloped potatoes? I went back in time for that too, consulting Betty Crocker. I omitted the onions, because Jacob doesn’t like them, and substituted 2 cups cream for part of the 3.5  cups of milk needed. And just before it was done, I spread some grated Parmesan on the top. So good.

Lots of brisket left over. We’ve had it heated with gravy twice, and I’ve had a sandwich of cold roast on rye (good Jewish rye from the deli, of course) with mayonnaise. We’ll do this again soon.