A Food Memorial:Beef Brisket

Tata's Brisket

All week long I've listened to a lot of memorials and remembrances of people speaking of those they loved who were lost ten year ago today. They bring back memories of my own, except not ones that happened on 9/11, but those who were important to me who were lost in the last ten years, especially my grandfather, George Weaver.

I've already gone into detail about my quest to remember my grandmother through food, but when I think of an actual food memory, I jump immediately to Tata. After Maria's death, I remember my parents were worried because George had lost his appetite amid his grief. He loved strong flavors, especially garlic, but in the last few years of Maria's life, her allergies and body really couldn't tolerate those flavors.

Tata, after 9/11

I'm not sure how it started, maybe because I borrowed his car every day for school, but at some point in the following months, I would come home from school and eat small meals with my grandfather. The meal I remember most was when I walked in and just smelled an overpowering odor of garlic. Garlic bread, Garlic Salad—just about everything was covered in cloves.

We didn't eat a lot, but kept each others company, and over time, both of our spirits lifted. My family continued our Sunday night traditions of eating over at his house. I started picking up menudo, his favorite tripe soup, at drive-thru Mexican restaurants. He went on to live until 2007, eating exactly what he wanted right until the end.

My grandfather didn't cook a lot, but his signature dish he made for the family was the following brisket recipe. The sauce, a fantastically delicious mixture of horseradish and cream, is legendary—originally gaining fame as a favorite dish of Stanley Marcus, of Neiman-Marcus. Everything my grandfather loved about flavor can be told through this recipe. Definitely for horseradish lovers, the sauce also has a subtleness that comes from the apples and cream so it won't scare away those with a more modest love of the root.

The Original Recipe, taken from an ancient newspaper

Boiled Brisket with Horseradish Sauce
Helen Corbitt Cooks for Company
5-6 lb. beef brisket, with fat
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 celery stalk, with leaves
2 carrots
2-3 Sprigs Parsley
6 Peppercorns
1 bottle Beer (Darker is better)
1 t. salt (added after 1 hour of cooking)

Horseradish Sauce
1 cup cream
1 cup reserved juice from meat (fat removed)
1/4 c. grated horseradish or horseradish sauce
1/2 t. dry mustard
1 t. chopped chives (very thin)
1/4 c. diced apple (very thin)

1. Place beef with fat in dutch oven with the rest of the brisket ingredients. Bring to a boil, add salt, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-4 hours, until meat is tender.
2. After 2 hours, remove 1 cup of the liquid from the pot and cool, skimming off the fat. When the brisket has around 30 minutes left, make the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients and heat on low. Note: Be careful not to bring the sauce to a boil, or else the cream will curdle.
3. When brisket is tender, remove from pot. Cut away all excess fat, and then slice the meat in long, skinny pieces. Serve with sauce and white rice.

Stir Fry Saturday: Beef With Peppers

This was a last minute recipe I found on Punkfork, my new favorite recipe aggregate. The site collects recipes from a good selection of national food blogs and aggregates them into a really pretty website with lots of nice tiled photos. You can search by ingredients or popularity. The following was from Pioneer Woman:

Beef with Peppers
Pioneer Woman

• 1½ pound Flank Steak, Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
• ½ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Sherry
• 2 Tablespoons Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Red Chile Paste (or A Few Dashes Red Chile Oil)
• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1 whole Medium Yellow Onion Sliced
• 2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced Into Rings
• 1 Tablespoon Diced Fresh Jalapeno (or 1 Teaspoon Dice Hot Pepper)
• Red Pepper Flakes, For Sprinkling
• Cilantro Leaves

1. Mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and chili paste (or chili oil.) Place sliced beef in the mixture and toss to coat. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it is very hot, throw in the onions and cook for less than a minute. Remove to a separate plate. Return skillet to flame, allow to reheat, and add bell peppers (and hot pepper/jalapeno if using.) Cook for a minute, tossing, until peppers have brown/black bits but are still firm. Remove to a plate.
3. Return skillet to heat and allow to get hot. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add 1/3 of the meat mixture, evenly distributing over the surface of the skillet. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 seconds, then turn with tongs. Cook for another 30 seconds, then remove to a separate plate. Repeat with remaining meat until all brown.
4. Reduce heat to low. Add all meat, onions, and peppers to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour in remaining sauce (the sauce the meat marinated in*) and stir. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes. Sauce will slowly thicken. Turn off heat.

Perfect Weather for a Kabob Party

While August usually gets a bad rap for its weather, I actually enjoy the month because every now and then, you get those cool nights that remind you fall is on the way. After finding so many fun kabob recipes in this summer's Everyday Food, I decided to invite a few friends over and have a kabob sampler that included Shrimp, Beef, Pork, and Butternut Squash (recipes for all are below).

Kabob Rock Star

Tips for A Successful Kabob Party:

• Skewer Ahead of Time. Because of the risk of cross contamination when it comes to raw meats, I chose to do all the hard-core assembly beforehand while saving the sauces for the party itself.
• Have a Grilling Partner. You will be busy making sauces, entertaining friends, and prepping what is going on the grill next, so for the best outcome you should assign someone to the grill itself.
• Always have a pineapple on hand. No sauces, no seasoning---just caramelization at work on a delicious fruit.

Beef with Veggies, Squash with Indian Spices

Flank Steak Kebabs with Peanut Sauce
Everyday Food

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce, such as Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped roasted salted peanuts
• 1 pound flank steak, cut against the grain into 1/2-inch slices (halved crosswise if long)
• 1 large zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch half-moons
• 1 large bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 lime, quartered (optional)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

1. Heat a grill to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Place a small flameproof pot on grill; add peanut butter, coconut milk, chili sauce, and fish sauce and whisk until smooth and heated through. Transfer sauce to a serving bowl and top with peanuts.
2. Alternately thread steak, zucchini, bell pepper, and lime onto four 8-inch skewers, beginning and ending with steak. Season with salt and pepper and grill, turning occasionally, until steak is browned and cooked medium and peppers are crisp-tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Serve with peanut sauce.

Indian Spiced Squash Kebabs
Cooking Light, June 2008

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pound baby pattypan squash, cut in half crosswise
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh mint leaves (Optional)

1. Note: Due to the season, I was only able to secure a Butternut Squash. While the end result still ended up quite tasty, the squash took a lot longer to cook until tender (ending up charred), and it was hell getting them on to the skewers. If you are in the same boat, slice the pieces smaller to shorten the cooking time, or consider blanching them first to soften them up before placing them on the grill.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Thread squash and onion alternately onto each of 8 (10-inch) skewers. Place skewers on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes or until tender, turning frequently. Drizzle with juice. Sprinkle with mint.

Shrimp Boil Kebabs

Shrimp-Boil Kebabs
Everyday Food

• 1/2 pound small new potatoes (Requires Precooking)
• 2 small ears corn, cut into 1 1/2-inch rounds
• 1/2 pound andouille, cut into 1-inch rounds
• 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 4 teaspoons hot-pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• Lemon wedges, for serving (Optional)  

1. Note: Of all the kebabs I made, this was the only one where things were not cooking at the same time. Resist the urge to grill the shrimp and andouille on the same skewer, as the sausage will end up underdone. Instead, split the skewers so the shrimp cooks with the pre-cooked potatoes and the andouille is with the corn.
2. In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over medium-high. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 12 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Alternately thread potatoes, corn, andouille, and shrimp onto four 8-inch skewers.
3. Heat a grill to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. In a small bowl, combine butter, hot-pepper sauce, and Old Bay Seasoning. Grill kebabs, turning and brushing with butter mixture occasionally, until shrimp are opaque throughout and corn is tender and beginning to char, about 8 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

And of COURSE my famous Pork Kebabs with Hoisin Glaze

Finally, we grilled the trusty, most amazingly sweet/savory kebab you will ever try, the Everyday Food recipe for Pork Kebabs with Ginger Hoisin Glaze. Still amazing.

Welcome Home Meatloaf

Sometimes all you need is meat and potatoes...

Chris has been traveling for most of July, but returned home on Friday night and I wanted to make him something he loved. He'd told me about his mother's meatloaf, and how he loved it as a kid, so I asked Judy for the recipe so I could make it for him once he returned. In my view, the first thing you want to do after a hard-core trip is indulge in a little comfort food that reminds you of home.

Judy's Meatloaf 
Served with roasted potatoes, although mashed might be a better option to mix in with the meat.

• 1.5 lbs. 85% lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. ketchup
• 1/2 c. Italian flavored bread crumbs
• 1/4 c. Worchestershire sauce
• 1/4 c. A1 sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place beef in a bowl and add all the ingredients. Mix all together (I use my hands!) and form an oval. Don't pack it too tightly.
3. Place on a baking dish and place uncovered in a 350 degree oven. Cook for 45 minutes, or until well done (using a meat thermometer). Turn the oven to broil and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the top of the loaf gets a nice, blackened crust.
4. A little grease will form in the dish, so be careful getting it out.

Easy Peasy Chinesey

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Considering I don't have a wok, I've made two really fantastic stir fries this week. The following jumped out at me while I was recipe surfing because by this point in the month, I would have usually thrown in the towel and ordered Chinese takeout. Before giving into my craving, I thought I might as well try to make it myself and see how it tasted.

Unlike the Pad Thai which didn't quite match the flavors, this was a pretty decent replication. I have adjusted the recipe below to bump up the spiciness factor--feel free to check out the original if you want to soften the blow, but I found the original recipe slightly bland and very Americanized.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Cooking Light, March 2010
Serves 4: Calories 476, Fat 12.9g, Protein 32.1g, Carb 52g, Sodium 523mg
Note: Cooking Light said it only takes 25 minutes, but they don't account for the ingredient prep--add another 10 for cutting up the veggies.

• 2  (3 1/2-ounce) bags boil-in-bag long-grain white rice
• 2 T. dry sherry, divided
• 2 T. lower-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 1 t. sugar
• 1 lb. boneless sirloin steak, cut diagonally across grain into thin slices
• 1/2 cup lower-sodium beef broth
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 1 T. hoisin sauce
• 1 T. Sriracha (hot chile sauce) (originally 1 teaspoon)
• 2 T. canola oil, divided
• 1 T. bottled ground fresh ginger
• 2 t. minced garlic
• 4  cups prechopped broccoli florets
• 1/4  cup water
• 1/3  cup sliced green onions

1. Cook rice according to directions.
2. While rice cooks, combine 1 tablespoon sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sugar, and add to beef.
3. Stir together 1 tablespoon sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, broth, cornstarch, hoisin, and Sriracha.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture; sauté 3 minutes or until browned. Remove beef from pan. 
5. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add ginger and garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. 
6. Add broccoli and 1/4 cup water; cook 1 minute. Add onions; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. 
7. Add broth mixture and beef mixture; cook 2 minutes or until beef is thoroughly heated and sauce is slightly thick. Serve beef mixture over rice.