Holidays are when a family’s most precious traditions are forged, and Rosh Hashanah (beginning at sundown Sept. 21), a solemn yet joyous holiday with its universal message of hope for a sweet new year, offers ample opportunity to pass along treasured traditions and create new ones.
Such is the stuff of which memories are made.
While the clergy and staff of North Orange County’s synagogues – Temple Beth Tikvah, Temple Beth Ohr and Chabad of Yorba Linda – prepare for the services ahead, hundreds of local kitchens are abuzz with preparations for the celebratory meal launching the holiday.
What’s on the table for Rosh Hashanah? Chances are it’s brisket, and not just any brisket – it’s your family’s treasured recipe, because, as we all know, your grandmother’s was the best, right?
How did brisket become Jewish food anyway?
“The earliest Jewish recipes for brisket were mostly from Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jews from Germany,” writes Stephanie Pierson in “The Brisket Book” (Andrews McMeel, $29.99) “What these recipes lacked in creativity, they made up for in familiar satisfaction and bulk. Askenazic food habits ultimately became known as ‘typical Jewish food.’”
Jews do not have a monopoly on brisket, however. “The Brisket Book” showcases recipes from such far-flung places as Cuba, Ireland and Korea, not to mention dozens of barbecue preparations from Texas, Kansas City, New York and New Orleans.
Yet, Pierson points out, the ascendancy of brisket in Jewish kitchens can be attributed to the kosher laws and our love of tradition and economics. Since, according to kosher law, only the forequarters of the cow may be eaten, brisket is acceptable. And for those who could afford it, back in the old country, brisket was served on the Sabbath or holidays, wrapping it in loving memories of family and community.
“Brisket will never be a meal for one,” Pierson quips.
“Economics has always played a part in who eats it, who doesn’t, and why someone would choose Oysters Rockefeller instead,” she writes. “It started as a rare indulgence and is a rare indulgence again today, for two reasons: today’s rising prices … and the fact that rich, fat-marbled red meat is now anathema to pretty much everyone except for a devout Atkins dieter.”
What is the difference between brisket and pot roast? Brisket is a cut of beef requiring slow cooking; pot roast is what you make with it (or with other cuts).
In the Russian version featured here — a perennial favorite with my family — brisket is marinated in lemon juice, which tenderizes it and provides the sour backdrop for the sweet and tangy chili sauce that comes later. What makes it Russian is a more difficult question to answer. I doubt they had chili sauce in Minsk!
Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.
RUSSIAN BRISKET
From “Cooking Jewish” (Workman) by Judy Bart Kancigor; yield is 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients:
• About 4 1/2 pounds first-cut beef brisket
• Juice of 6 lemons
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Garlic powder to taste
• 2 envelopes dehydrated onion soup mix
• 3 tablespoons dark or light brown sugar
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) chili sauce, such as Heinz
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
• About 2 pounds very small red potatoes
Method:
1. Place brisket in a large glass baking dish or resealable plastic bag; add lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap or sealed bag; marinate, turning meat occasionally, in the refrigerator 24 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Rinse lemon juice from meat; sprinkle both sides liberally with pepper and garlic powder. Place brisket, fat side up, in large roasting pan.
4. Pour water up to about 1 inch around meat; sprinkle one envelope of onion soup mix, brown sugar, about 3/4 of chili sauce and garlic over meat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil; roast 2 1/2 hours.
5. Add 1/2 cup water to remaining chili sauce, shake, and stir mixture into liquid in roasting pan. Add some remaining soup mix to taste. Add potatoes and baste. Roast, uncovered, until potatoes are fork-tender and caramelized, 1 hour. Liquid will reduce to rich, caramelized sauce. If too thick, stir in hot water, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency.
6. Remove meat from pan, slice diagonally across the grain, and serve with potatoes and sauce.