my favorite brisket

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the brisket and rub with garlic.

Sear the brisket in the oil and then place, fat side up, on top of the onions in a large casserole. Cover with the tomatoes, red wine, celery, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary. Cover and bake in preheated oven for about 3 hours, basting often with pan juices. Add the parsley and carrots and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes more or until the carrots are cooked. To test for doneness, stick a fork in the flat (thinner or leaner end of the brisket). When there is a light pull on the fork as it is removed from the meat, it is "fork tender." This dish is best prepared in advance and refrigerated so that the fat can be easily skimmed from the surface of the gravy. Trim off all the visible fat from the cold brisket. Then place the brisket, on what was the fat side down, on a cutting board. Look for the grain which is the muscle lines of the brisket. With a very sharp knife, cut across the grain.

When ready to serve, reheat the gravy. Put the sliced brisket in a roasting pan. Pour the hot gravy on the meat, cover, and reheat in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Some people like to strain the gravy, but I prefer to keep the onions because they are so delicious. Serve with farfel (boiled egg barley noodles), noodle kugel or potato pancakes. A colorful winter salad goes well with this.

(Courtesy Joan Nathan)

Yield: 8 to 10 servings ENTERTAINING AT HOME WITH DEAN FEARING SHOW #HE1A34 CHANUKAH DINNER