Cooking Dinner

Cooking dinner every night is not one of my strong points; it never has been.  And our tastes and preferences keep changing.  Just when I've settled into a few new recipes, someone doesn't like one of the ingredients.  But we keep trying.

Some recent attempts:

Stove-Top Brisket via NYTimes

Ingredients:

2-pound first-cut brisket

4 large white onions

1 teaspoon olive oil

Paprika, salt and pepper to taste

Loosely dice the onions and set them aside in a big bowl.

Pat the brisket dry and pour a very generous amount of salt, pepper and paprika on the less fatty side. Pour oil into a high-sided pan with a lid to coat the bottom. Turn the stove to medium-high and place the fattier side down in the pan for 7 minutes. When the meat is browned, flip it so the spiced side is down and generously sprinkle more salt, pepper and paprika onto the fatty side. Let cook uncovered for 4 more minutes.

Pour in the entire bowl of onions; they should cover the meat and reach up to the top of the pan. Cover with lid and turn down to a simmer.

Cook for 3 to 4 hours, or until tender.

Slice and serve brisket immediately; it’s great with rice.

Braised Pork

2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup red wine

1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth

1 bunch parsley stems, tied with string

2 bay leaves

1 cup water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and working in batches brown the meat on all sides until a golden crust forms. Transfer the pork to a plate. To the pan add the onion, celery, and carrot and sweat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes to cook off the raw flavor and caramelize it. Sprinkle with the flour and cook another 2 minutes to cook off its raw flavor. Whisk in the wine and reduce it by half. Return the pork to the Dutch oven, then stir in the beef stock, parsley stems, and bay leaves. Add the water if liquid does not come up to the top of the pork. Do not cover the pork with liquid. Cover the pan and place it in the oven to braise until the meat is fork tender, about 3 hours. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. 

Transfer to a serving platter and serve.