WHAT THEY MEAN BY SUFFERING:

Putting brisket to the taste test: A chef's sophisticated version goes up against a traditional Passover recipe. Which will be the favorite? (Lucy Stille, March 28, 2007, LA Times)

Friday night brisket

Total time: 5 hours and 25 minutes, plus cooling time

Servings: 8 to 10

Note: Adapted from Joan Nathan's "Jewish Holiday Cookbook." Bottled chile sauce such as Heinz Chili Sauce is widely available.

1 (4- to 5-pound) brisket

2 (1-ounce) packets onion soup mix

1 1/2 cups chile sauce

6 cloves garlic

1 1/2 pounds carrots

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the meat fat-side up in a large Dutch oven. Sprinkle the onion soup mix over the meat. Cover with the chile sauce and 2 cups of water, or more if needed to almost cover the meat. Crush the garlic cloves and add to the liquid.

2. Cover the pan and cook for 4 hours. Let the brisket cool for about 45 minutes and refrigerate overnight. Then skim the fat off the meat.

3. About 1 1/2 hours before you wish to serve the brisket, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the brisket to a cutting board and slice it thinly across the grain. Trim, peel and cut the carrots into one-half-inch-by-2-inch sticks. Cook the brisket and carrots covered for 1 hour, until the brisket is heated through and the carrots are fork tender. (Alternatively, the brisket can be completed the same day: While the brisket is cooling for 45 minutes, trim, peel and cut the carrots into one-half-inch-by-2-inch sticks. Remove the brisket and slice it thinly across the grain. Skim the fat off the top of the liquid, add the sliced brisket back to the pan with the carrots, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 more hour, or until carrots are fork tender.) Serve on a platter.

One day Jews will realize they can afford cuts of meat that you don't have to boil for two days...

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 28, 2007 6:40 AM