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

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 meat