Beef Brisket and Anniversary Remembrance

 

                                                         Pot Au Feu: a Brisket recipe

I am posting a blog entry today because January 2^nd is my wedding anniversary.  This is my third anniversary since my dear Bruce passed away. I can’t believe it’s been that long!  It is one of the harder days for me, because it follows so closely behind Christmas and New Years holidays. It feels like a
triple whammy to get through this rough spot, and later this month, on the 21^st, it will be Bruce’s birthday.

Thankfully, friends and family are always there for me, supporting me by spending time with me. It has gotten a bit easier as the years go by, and my emotions don’t run away with me quite as much.  A couple of dear friends will meet me for lunch today, and their kindness and laughter will buoy me up.

With all the conflict and misery in the news, while I can’t ignore what is going on, I try to focus on what matters to me on a daily basis in my little corner of the world.  We have to keep hope in our hearts to keep on going, just putting one foot in front of the other, one step at a time and you’ll be surprised how far you can go. 

        Our wedding vows, Jan. 2nd, 2016

I’ve been writing down some random thoughts that help me with daily coping:

·         Loneliness is a trickster, it creeps up on you. So try to plan small things to get you out and about every day.  Call a friend, find someone lonelier than you and visit them.  I visit a 90-year old widow friend of mine who is in assisted living, and I enjoy our conversations immensely.  When I suddenly get the blues, I get in my car with my dog and take a walk on one of the trails in the area, or just a walk around town if the weather less than ideal.

 

·         What would your loved one think of your attitude?  Turn the tables around.  If you were the one to leave this earth first, what would you want for your loved one?  If it were me,  I’d like to know that my dearest was not too sad or in pain without me.  I would hope that he could find some joy in life, try new things, do good deeds.  So that is what I try to do. Often I find myself doing a task that he used to do, learning how to do things as I go along.  When I accomplish something, I feel like Bruce is right there, giving me a pat on the back and saying “Atta girl!  I knew you could do it”!

 

·         Small indulgences are good!  Buy yourself a treat now and then, maybe a cupcake or an ice cream, or get that pair of shoes you really want!  The key is to be mindful and really appreciate what you have chosen for a treat.  Think about how great that cup of tea tastes with that special cookie!

For Christmas, I always buy myself one “extravagant” gift which I think my husband would have liked me to have, and I say it is from him, and I thank him and enjoy the gift.  This year it was a new winter coat, and I feel much warmer, warmed by thoughts of him. 

This month’s recipes feature beef brisket, which is the cut of beef used for corned beef and for pot roast and is also the classic slow, smoked BBQ cut. One of the recipes I am sharing is for a “Martini Beef Brisket”.  It’s got every ingredient you would put in a martini, including the olives and the vodka. The festive name of this dish makes it a good choice for a New Year’s Eve dinner. The other recipe is for Pot au Feu, a cross between a soup and a pot roast, a humble dish from France.

I love leftover beef brisket for sandwiches.  I think I’d rather have a sliced beef brisket sandwich on a bun than a deli roast beef sandwich!  It tastes better and costs less.  Warm the beef brisket a bit in some beef broth and put a slice of swiss cheese on top to really dress up the sandwich.

What is a beef brisket?  It is a less tender cut of beef, just above the shank, and you might call it a pot roast cut.  There are two cuts of the brisket, the flat cut and the point cut, which has more fat and an uneven shape.  The flat cut looks nicer when sliced. 

Crockpot Pot au Feu

This is a French peasant dish, and “Pot au feu” translates to “Pot on the fire” from the days when a cast iron pot was hung over the hearth to slow cook food all day.  Everything just goes into the pot! Nowadays, we use the crock pot for slow cooking .  This is a very simple meal, but hearty and delicious.  All you need is a good loaf of bread to go with it. To serve ladle some of that heavenly beef broth into a soup or pasta bowl, and add slices of beef brisket along with portions of potato, carrots and leeks.  Serve with a spoon as well as a knife and fork so that you can slurp up the broth.

2-3 lb. beef brisket

32 oz. beef broth

3-4 small red potatoes, skins on

3-4 carrots, washed and peeled, just cut the stems off

1-2 leeks, washed and cut into 5-6 inch pieces

Place the brisket in the crock pot along with the beef broth and cook on “high temp” setting for 6 hours.  Add the veggies and cook for an additional hour.  Remove the brisket and set aside for 10 minutes before slicing.  Slice the beef across the grain, and serve as described above.  Don’t skip the good bread!  A baguette or Italian loaf are perfect for this!

 

Martini Brisket

2- 3 lb. beef brisket

Crushed peppercorns or course ground pepper

1 tablesp. olive oil

2 medium onions, sliced

1 28 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes

1 cup beef broth

1 tablesp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tablesp. fines herbs, crushed

½ cup light cream

3 tablesp. vodka

1 tablesp. vermouth

½ cup of pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced

 

 Rub pepper on brisket.  Using a dutch oven, brown brisket in oil.  Remove brisket and set aside.  Saute’ onions in the oil until lightly browned.  Add diced tomatoes, beef broth, Worcestershire and herbs.  Return brisket to pot and spoon some sauce over the top of the roast.  Cover and simmer for 3 hours, until brisket is tender.

To serve, remove brisket to a platter to set for 10 minutes while finishing the sauce.  Skim fat from tomato sauce.  Add vodka, vermouth and cream to the sauce and stir until sauce comes to a boil.  Slice brisket, pour sauce over the meat and scatter the olive slices over the top.