Total Time: 4 hours; 40 minutes | Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 pounds brisket, trimmed
• 1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes, with juice
• 4 large onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

Preparation

• In a small bowl, combine paprika, salt, oregano and pepper. Rub the seasonings all over the brisket.
• In a medium heatproof bowl, cover the dried mushrooms with the boiling water and set aside until softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid, and reserve the liquid. Squeeze out any extra liquid and coarsely chop the mushrooms.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Place a large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and drizzle in the olive oil. Add the brisket, fat side down, and cook over until well-browned, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a platter and pour off any excess fat. Add the white wine and beef stock, then pour in the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, stopping before you reach the grit at the bottom (discard that). Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and stir in the tomatoes, mushrooms and bay leaves.
• Return the brisket to the casserole, fat side up. Scatter the onions and garlic over the meat and into the liquid and bring to a boil. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Uncover, spoon the onions on top of the brisket and cook for about 1 hour to brown the onions. Cover and braise for about 2 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.
• Transfer the brisket to a carving board and cover loosely with foil. Simmer the sauce for a few minutes on the stovetop, to thicken slightly. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaves.
• Carve the brisket across the grain into ½-inch-thick slices and serve topped with onions and sauce.

Serving Suggestion

• There’s ample sauce in this dish, so serve with cooked noodles, rice or dinner rolls to mop it up.

Nutritional Information