You’ll need a spoon. The broth surrounding the beef has been in the oven for four hours, along with a handful of caramelised shallots, black peppercorns, thyme sprigs and bay leaves. I could have used traditional stock, but preferred to make one out of dried mushrooms: a dark coloured, bosky liquor in which to coax a cheap cut of meat towards tenderness. The brisket was bargain enough, as you would expect from a cut situated at the front of the belly, a piece of meat that works hard throughout the animal’s life. I asked the butcher to leave the fat on my brisket in place, so that it would soften to a quivering mass and slowly enrich the gravy during its long sojourn in the oven.
I cut the meat into thick, wobbly slices and laid them in wide, shallow dishes, the sort you might use for pasta, then spooned the shiny, mahogany-coloured broth round the meat. There was a temptation to add soft, pale dollops of mashed parsnips or butter beans, but instead I voted for swede, mashing it to a cream with a ridiculous quantity of butter and black pepper. Ideally, there would have been a thick fog outside, or, better still, a howling storm crashing at the windows. But you can’t have everything.
What we did have was enough silky brown meat for the next day, which I pulled into jagged strips and tossed with vinegar-crisped cabbage, finely shredded kale (yes, that again) and some sprouted radish seeds from the wholefood shop. I dressed it with a cool dill and mustard seed-flecked cream dressing.
If you want a quick fix then eat an expensive cut of meat, but if you crave homely warmth and bonhomie, the feeling that all is well with our world (especially when it isn’t) then it’s the cheap, fat-rich cuts to head for. The ones that enrich their cooking liquor to a point where you can feel the goodness seeping through to your soul with every mouthful. You’re going to need that spoon.
Braised beef brisket with porcini and onion gravy
The dried porcini will add about three quid to the cost of this dish, but you get a lot of flavour for your money. We ate this with mashed swede, and loads of butter and black pepper.
Serves 6-8
dried porcini 25g
beef brisket 1.5kg, rolled and tied
banana shallots 6
carrots 350g, small ones
black peppercorns 12
bay leaves 4
thyme sprigs 6
swede 1, mashed to serve
Put the kettle on. Set the oven at 230C/gas mark 8. Put the dried porcini in a heatproof bowl, then pour the boiling water over it, cover with a plate and leave to soak for 25 minutes. This will give you a deeply flavourful broth.
Place the rolled and tied brisket in a large casserole, then put it in the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Peel and trim the shallots and halve them lengthways. Scrub and halve the carrots lengthways. Add them to the casserole together with the porcini and its broth, the peppercorns, bay and thyme, then cover with a lid. Lower the heat to 160C and bake for 4 hours.
Remove the brisket from its broth and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Put the casserole over a high heat, bring the contents to the boil and leave until reduced by about one-third. Slice the brisket into thick pieces, dividing it between deep plates, then spoon over the broth and vegetables.
For the mashed swede Peel a large swede and cut it into large chunks, pile it into a steamer basket or colander and cook over a pan of boiling water for 20 minutes until soft. Tip into a bowl and crush thoroughly with a potato masher. Add a thick slice of butter (about 30g) and lots of coarsely ground black pepper. Beat firmly with a wooden spoon till fluffy. Serve in generous mounds in the broth that surrounds the beef.
Brisket slaw
The clean crunch of raw cabbage and kohlrabi gives a refreshing reboot to yesterday’s brisket. Slice thickly then tear into rough-edged shards, pulling at the meat with your fingertips.
brisket cooked leftovers
white cabbage 150g
red cabbage 125g
white wine vinegar 50ml
kohlrabi 1, small
lemon 1, juiced
parsley 20g
yellow mustard seeds 1 tbsp
black mustard seeds 1 tbsp
olive oil 3 tbsp
dill 10g
kale 4 small leaves
sprouted seeds 4 handfuls
double cream 4 tbsp
Finely shred the red and white cabbages and mix together in a large bowl. Pour over the vinegar, toss together and leave for 20 minutes.
Slice the kohlrabi as thinly as possible. You should be able to see through it. Place the slices on a plate, slightly overlapping. Squeeze the lemon juice over them and set aside.
Finely chop the parsley and add to the shredded cabbage. Warm a frying pan over a moderate heat and add the black and yellow mustard seeds. When the seeds start to pop, tip them into a small bowl and add the olive oil. Finely chop the dill and combine with the mustard seeds.
Wash, dry and finely shred the kale leaves then add them to the cabbage. Wash the sprouted seeds and toss with the cabbage and kale. Tease the leftover brisket into small shards or chunks, and add to the salad.
Transfer the cabbage and beef to a serving dish or platter. Stir the double cream into the mustard seed and oil, season lightly with salt and black pepper, then trickle over the salad and serve.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater
