To most of us, Fall may mean back to school, a return to the more structured daily life and back to the harsh reality that fall, and eventually winter, are not too far away.
Whether one celebrates the Jewish holidays and/or the changing of the seasons, the following menu takes advantage of the best that Long Island has to offer during the fall season and with a minimum of time spent in the kitchen preparing it.
What better way can one savor Long Island’s wonderful Indian Summer sitting in one’s own backyard and enjoying the sunset while dinner cooks all by itself?
Add in a few store bought items and just simply follow the recipes below and you, too, will be able to enjoy your family and friends while receiving the accolades of a gourmet chef!
Menu
Serves 12
Crudites with Dip*
Brisket
Steamed Seasonal Vegetables*
Tomatoes with Anchovy Oil
Low Cholesterol Potatoes
Melon Sorbet*
Cookies*
Coffee & Tea*
*Recipe Not Given
Brisket Marinade
1 cup red wine
1 onion, chopped finely
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Meat
8 lbs. top-quality bone brisket of beef, bottom part only, trimmed of all fat except a very thin layer
1 tblsp. vegetable oil
3 leeks, washed and
quartered (be sure to
remove all sand)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, washed
6 plum tomatoes, cores
removed
3 tblsp. tomato paste
1/2 lb. fresh thyme
10 peppercorns
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
10 new bliss potatoes,
washed and quartered
1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together. Marinate the brisket for, at least, 6 hours or overnight. Dry meat. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in a large roasting pan and sear the meat on both sides. When seared, place meat on a platter and salt and pepper.
2. Saute all of the vegetables in the remaining drippings, except the parsley and the potatoes. When the vegetables have softened, add the parsley, tomato paste, herbs and seasonings and the marinade. Bring to a boil.
3. Place meat on top of the vegetables and cover the pan with aluminum foil and the lid. Cook the meat for 1 hour, then turn it over and cook one hour more. Refrigerate the brisket overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove all fat from the sauce and puree the vegetables in a food processor, fitted with a steel blade. Return the pureed sauce to the pan and add the potatoes. Roast the potatoes for approximately 45 minutes in the oven. Remove the potatoes from the sauce and keep warm.
5. Slice the brisket on the diagonal and return it to the roasting pan with the sauce. Heat for 45 minutes and serve with the potatoes and the sauce.
Tomatoes with
Anchovy Oil
5 Beefsteak tomatoes,
sliced thickly
1 cup best quality olive oil
1 tube anchovy paste
1. In a food processor, fitted with a steel blade, puree the olive oil and anchovy paste.
2. No more than 2 hours before serving, arrange the tomatoes on a large platter and drizzle with the anchovy oil.
Low Cholesterol Potatoes
4 potatoes, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup oive oil
2 tblsp. fresh rosemary
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and toss to coat the potatoes and the onion with the oil
3. On a baking sheet with a Silpat, place the potato mixture, being careful not to overlap the ingredients. Place in the oven and bake until crisp. Remember to turn the potatoes if necessary.
Alexandra Troy is owner of Culinary Architect Catering, a 32-year old Greenvale-based company, specializing in private, corporate and promotional parties. For more photos and presentation ideas, follow Culinary Architect Catering on Facebook.
