Eggplant-Stuffed Brisket Braised with Tomatoes, Saffron, and Honey

Name: Eggplant-Stuffed Brisket Braised with Tomatoes, Saffron, and Honey
Yield: Yield: 8 Generous Servings
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: Salt; ¼ cup aromatic honey (choose an herb flower honey like thyme or rosemary, if possible); steamed rice, mamaliga (polenta), or couscous; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 2 large onions, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups); 3 tablespoons olive oil; 3 dried apricots, diced (a tart variety especially—usually from California, not Turkey—will point up the sweet and tangy nuances; optional); About 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 peeled and finely minced teaspoons fresh ginger; One 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, packed in their juice; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar; A first- or second-cut beef brisket (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, with a deep, wide pocket for stuffing (have your butcher cut along one of the short sides, extending nearly to the edge along the other three sides); ¼ teaspoon saffron threads; Coarse kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper; 1 medium-large eggplant (about 1¼ pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Preparation info

Yield:
8
Generous Servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Jewish Holiday Cooking

By Jayne Cohen

Published 2008

About

“Jews’ food,” they called eggplant in mid-nineteenth century Florence, according to Italian food historian Pellegrino Artusi in The Art of Eating Well (1891).

They were right, of course. Introduced first into Italy by the Sephardim, who had fallen in love with the meaty vegetable in Arab Spain, eggplants later came to be prized as well by Jews throughout the Balkans, Romania, and in whatever parts of Russia they would grow.

Rich and substantial, satin-skinned eggplant

Ingredients

Americas
United States
Dinner

Ingredients

Method