Jim Cohen's Sephardic Brisket

Ingredients

• 2 dried pasilla peppers or dried negro chile or poblano chiles or dried ancho chiles
• 4 lbs beef brisket
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• flour, for dredging
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
• 4 cups chicken stock or beef stock or water
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon peppercorn
• 4 black tea bags
• 2 cups dried pitted prunes
• 2 cups dried apricots

Directions

1. 1

   Soak the dried peppers in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Seed, remove the stems and chop into tiny pieces.

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

3. 3

   Season the brisket with the salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy roasting pan and brown the brisket on all sides. Remove from the pan.

4. 4

   In the same pan, over medium heat, sauté the onions and ginger until the onions are transparent.

5. 5

   Add the pepper and deglaze with the orange juice. Reduce for a few minutes.

6. 6

   Add the brisket and enough stock or water to cover. Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and peppercorns.

7. 7

   Cook in the 400-degree oven, uncovered, until the brisket is tender, about 3 hours, turning at half hour intervals.

8. 8

   Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf.

9. 9

   Purée the sauce in a food processor or blender.

10. 10

    Cool and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Remove the congealed fat that float on the top of the liquid.

11. 11

    A half hour before serving, bring about 4 cups water to a boil. Steep the tea bags in the water to make a strong tea. Discard the tea bags.

12. 12

    Put the prunes and apricots in the tea to plump for about half an hour. Then drain them.

13. 13

    Reheat the brisket, the sauce, and the plumped fruit.