Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen (34 page)

1.
Adjust the rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 325°F.

2.
In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well, and set aside.

3.
Scatter half of the sliced onions in a Dutch oven. Pat the brisket dry with paper towels, then sprinkle the salt mixture evenly over both sides of the meat. Place the brisket, fat side up, on top of the onions and cover with the rest of the onions. Spoon in the water.

4.
Cover the pan tightly with foil, then cover it with the lid. (You want to capture all the steam as the meat cooks.) Place the pan in the center of the oven and let the brisket roast, undisturbed, for 3 hours.

5.
Remove the pan from the oven, uncover it (being careful not to get burned by the steam), and pierce the meat with a fork. If the fork goes in easily and the meat is tender, it’s done. If it still seems a bit tough, cover the pan again with the foil and the lid, put it back in the oven, and check it again every 15 to 20 minutes. Depending on the cut of meat, the total cooking can take as long as 4 hours or more, so be patient. (Grandma Betty reminds us that it is fine for brisket to be a little overdone. Ideally, one should need neither knife nor teeth.)

6.
When you take the finished brisket out of the oven, uncover it and let it sit in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing it.

7.
To serve, transfer the brisket to a cutting board and slice it thin across the grain. Spoon some of the very well cooked (and insanely delicious) onions and pan juices on top of each serving.

BETTY’S BRISKET WISDOM

Don’t remove the layer of fat covering one side of the brisket. It adds flavor and keeps the meat basted during cooking. It mostly dissolves during cooking, and whatever is left can always be cut away after cooking, if you prefer. Cut brisket across the grain in thin slices. If you cut with the grain, you’ll end up shredding the meat, which will still taste good but looks less attractive on the plate. You can also “pull” cooked brisket, by shredding it into chunks with two forks. This is great for filling tacos and sandwiches. You can freeze leftover cooked brisket—either whole, for another dinner or two, or sliced, as a stash of sandwich meat.

steak fajitas

Makes 4 servings

I
t’s always exciting to experience the sensory drama when a hot platter of sizzling fajitas is brought to your table in a Mexican restaurant. Here’s a recipe for making the same thing at home. It might be less of a performance piece, but it will taste just as great. Traditionally this is made with skirt steak, but flank and sirloin work equally well. The trick is to cook these fast, hot, and no more than medium-rare—which is nice, because it means minimal stove time for you. A cast-iron skillet is perfect for this.

1.
Pat the steak dry with paper towels, and season both sides with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and all the pepper.

2.
Place a large (10-to 12-inch) heavy skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Wait another 30 seconds, and then add the steak. Cook, undisturbed, for 1½ to 2 minutes, or until nicely browned. (This will give you a medium-rare result. If you prefer it more well done, you can cook it as long as 2½ minutes.)

3.
Use a metal spatula to loosen, lift, and flip the steak, and cook it on the other side for 1½ to 2 minutes for medium-rare (or up to 2½ minutes for medium), adding a little more oil if the pan seems dry. Don’t overcook the steak or it will become tough.

4.
Transfer the cooked steak to a cutting board or plate, cover it loosely with a tent of foil, and let it rest while you cook the onions and peppers.

5.
Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium heat. After about a minute, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Turn the heat to
medium-high, toss in the onion and bell peppers, and cook, shaking the pan and stirring, for only 3 to 5 minutes, or until everything becomes even more brightly colored and barely tender. Toss in the garlic and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt during the last minute of cooking.

6.
Remove the pan from the heat, and let the vegetables rest while you cut the steak crosswise, against the grain, into thin strips. Add the strips of cooked steak to the vegetables in the pan, and mix briefly to combine. Bring the pan to the table and serve right away.

GO THAT EXTRA FLAVOR INCH

You can give the steak a profound dose of flavor by marinating it for 20 minutes or longer in this mixture.

1.
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl; whisk well. (Alternatively you can put everything in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine well.) Transfer the marinade to a resealable plastic bag, add the steak (either whole, or cut against the grain into ¼-inch-thick strips), and let marinate in the refrigerator, for at least 20 minutes and as long as overnight.

2.
Lift the steak out of the marinade, leaving the liquid behind to discard, and cook according to the fajita recipe (but skipping the drying and seasoning of the meat in step 1).