Braised Italian Beef Brisket with Red wine and Prunes
This Braised Italian Beef Brisket from chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel marries the rich, deep flavors of red wine and the sweet, nuanced complexity of prunes. Serve with Parmesan polenta so it can soak up all the flavorful juices.
Equipment
- Large Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef brisket, cut into 4 inch portions ideally the flap
- 2 cups yellow onion 1/2 in dice
- 1 cups celery cut into 1/2 in dice
- 1 cup carrot peeled and cut into 1/2 in dice
- 2 cups prunes
- 2 tsp fennel seed ground
- ½ tsp black pepper ground
- ¾ cups red wine
- 1- quart beef stock Homemade, if possible
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 TBSP chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
- On a large plate, pat brisket with paper towels until dry. Season liberally with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium-high. Add a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, then, sear the brisket until it’s golden brown on all sides. Set brisket aside.
- In the same pot, cook sweet onion, celery and carrot in the residual oil for 2-3 minutes, until partially cooked.
- Add ground fennel and black pepper, and bloom on low heat for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. De-glaze with red wine. Cook the wine on low heat until it’s almost completely reduced and cooked off, stirring occasionally.
- Add beef stock and prunes and bring the stock to a simmer. Return the brisket to the pot, spoon the sauce + prunes over the top of it.
- Add rosemary and cover with two layers of foil and seal the sides neatly so the heat doesn’t escape.
- Cook the beef for 3-4 hours until tender. (You should be able to tear apart with two forks or insert a cake tester without much resistance).
- Rest the brisket in the hot prune sauce for 15 minutes, then remove the brisket and reserve on a large plate, covered with foil.
- Reduce the prune sauce until it has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Add the red wine vinegar, and season to taste.
- To serve, plate parmesan polenta, add sliced brisket, and top with the prune sauce draped on top. Garnish with chopped parsley. Bon appetit!
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1portionCalories: 654kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 55gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 701mgPotassium: 2160mgFiber: 9gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 6313IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 126mgIron: 7mg