Brisket with Pale Ale, Juniper & Prunes
Meg and I switch gears this week to take part in the Green City Market Chef Series. The market continues to provide the backdrop for our recipes for the remainder of February.
On my last visit to the market I didn’t have to look any further for inspiration than Heartland Meats who dedicated half their display to cuts of Piedmontese beef ideal for slow cooking. I selected a brisket and some shallots with the vague notion of slow cooking it in beer.
I am a long time fan of Yotam Ottolenghi for his myriad of amazing meat free recipes, from his cookbook Plenty, which can transform an uninspired meal into something much brighter. We have featured a number of Ottolenghi recipes on the blog previously however, meat free this is not and brisket with ale, juniper and prunes is a straight adaptation of his from The Guardian newspaper.
The resulting stew is savory and beefy, sweet from the prunes and molasses with a gravy sauce to be mopped up with the potatoes.
You can substitute the brisket for good quality beef stew meat and juniper berries are available at most good grocers, spice stores or online.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2lbs beef brisket, in 2 pieces
- 3/4lb shallots, peeled and left whole
- 2 tsp / 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh / 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 tsp juniper berries
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups / 1 500ml bottle pale ale
- 2 tbsp molasses or date syrup
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1lb fingerling potatoes
- 4 oz / 10 prunes, pitted
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/2 cup sour cream, to serve
- heat the oil on high in a skillet and add the brisket pieces
- turn brisket pieces once after 1 minute
- transfer brisket to the slow cooker
- lower the heat under the skillet to medium and add the shallots, garlic and thyme for 2 minutes until translucent
- transfer the shallot mixture to the slow cooker
- stir in the juniper, peppercorns, salt, pale ale, molasses, mustard, potatoes and prunes
- stir, cover and cook on LOW: 8 hours or HIGH: 4 hours
- serve sprinkled with lemon zest and a dollop of sour cream
- * cooks note if using Heartland beef reduce the cook time by 1/3 because the meat is leaner than regular brisket
Zen Moment
“Know your farmer know your food”
-Various
