Brisket with Onion-and-Chile Jam
These are very hot little firecrackers from the orient. They can be used to add spice to almost any oriental dish. They dry very easily and can be stored and used this way for a long time.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. pure olive oil
11 medium onions, 7 minced, 4 coarsely chopped
2 Thai chiles, with some seeds, minced
salt, to taste
5 large carrots, coarsely chopped
1 bunch of celery, coarsely chopped
freshly ground pepper
5 pound beef brisket, fat trimmed to a thin layer
2 quarts hot chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the minced onions and the Thai chiles and season with salt. Cook the ingredients over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft, about 25 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high and cook, stirring, until the onions are deeply browned, about 10 minutes longer. Set the onion-chile jam aside.
Preheat the oven to 325F and spread the carrots, celery and coarsely chopped onions in an even layer in a roasting pan and season them with salt and pepper. Season the beef brisket with salt and pepper and set it on top of the vegetables, fat side up. Spread the onion-chile jam in an even layer over the top of the brisket and pour the hot stock into the pan around the meat. Cover the roasting pan and braise the brisket for about 4-1/2 hours, or until the beef is very tender, basting every 30 minutes. Let the brisket rest in its pan juices for 30 minutes, then transfer it to a carving board. Strain the pan juices into a saucepan, pressing on the vegetables, then skim off the excess fat. Add the soy sauce and season with pepper. Bring the pan dripping mixture to a simmer. Thinly slice the brisket across the grain and serve with the pan juices.
Serve with boiled egg noodles.
Recipe by Jean-Georges Vongerichten from “Slow Food” which originally appeared in the February, 2003 issue of Food and Wine magazine.