Ingredients
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots, plus 1/3 cup quartered
3 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 to 5 pound brisket (first- or second-cut beef), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with damp paper towel and patted dry
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups chopped onion
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup dry red wine
3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
2/3 cup pitted prunes
Chopped cilantro
2. Preheat oven to 275F.
3. Scrape off any purée that may have seaped out of the slits. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. Add brisket and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Do not over-brown or let a hard crust form. Transfer fat side up to a platter.
4. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil from pan. Add onion and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until softened and gold. Add whole garlic cloves, carrots and chopped ginger; sauté 3 minutes. Add coriander, cayenne and remaining cumin. Stir 30 seconds. Add wine. Boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits, until liquid is reduced almost to a glaze. Add broth and bring to a simmer.
5. Spread any reserved purée over brisket, sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper, and add meat to pan. Cover and oven-braise 3 to 4 hours, until fork tender, basting with pan juices every half hour. About 30 minutes before the meat is done, stir in quartered apricots and prunes.
6. Remove from oven, cool, cover well with foil and refrigerate overnight. Scrape off all solid fat and discard. Remove brisket from pan and slice thinly across the grain.
7. Bring gravy to a boil and cook until thickened. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
8. Return sliced brisket to pan with gravy and simmer until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with mashed potatoes. Serves 10.
Recipe adapted with permission from Jayne Cohen’s Jewish Holiday Cooking (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2008). Relish Winter 2008 Supplement.





