LIFE
OCTOBER 9, 2013 • NORTHWEST PRESS • B3
Two-way brisket can be made in oven, slow cooker The seasons on our little patch of heaven are marked by what’s going on outside in our gardens and what my husband, Frank, is doing with our outside equipment. Right now he’s “salting things away for the winter,” meaning he’s servicing the tiller, tractor, boat and lawn mowers for a winter rest in Rita the garage. Heikenfeld Our bell pepRITA’S KITCHEN pers have finally ripened, so I was able to add them to an antipasto tray I made for a friend’s rehearsal dinner.
Easy antipasto
Need a stunning and delicious appetizer? An antipasto tray fills the bill. It is not only appealing to the eye, but there’s something on the tray for everybody. Go to your olive bar and ask lots of questions. I went to the Eastgate Jungle Jim’s olive bar and was able to sample whatever I wanted. This will help in choosing the right ingredients for your budget and guests. I did choose olives without pits. Since prosciutto is expensive, I bought a few slices to garnish and folded them over on top of the antipasto. I also sprinkled a can of chickpeas on top. The nice thing about this recipe is that it can be assembled a day ahead. For the sauce, I use Caesar salad dressing with fresh herbs stirred in. I drizzle the dressing on right before I serve it.
My favorite two-way brisket
Brisket is a cut of meat from the lower chest or breast of beef. It is amazingly flavor-
An antipasto tray can be customized to fit different budgets and appetites.THANKS TO RITA HEIKENFELD
ful, but tough, so slow cooking is a must. Either way you cook this – in the oven or in a slow cooker – the brisket turns out tender and so delicious. Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles. 3 pounds beef brisket 2 cups chili sauce 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1 cup beef broth 1 very large onion, sliced 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves 3 bay leaves Salt and pepper to taste
Oven: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine chili sauce, sugar and broth. Pour about half of this in the bottom of roasting pan. Place brisket on sauce, fat side up. Distribute onion, cloves and bay leaves over brisket. Pour rest of sauce over. Cover and bake
50-55 minutes per pound or until meat is fork tender. Remove brisket from pan and remove bay leaves and whole cloves. Cut brisket across the grain. Skim off any fat from top of sauce. Pour sauce over brisket (or put sauce in refrigerator overnight and the fat will congeal on top for easy removal. Then reheat with brisket in 375 degree oven, covered, or in microwave). Slow cooker: I like to cook mine 9-12 hours or so on low, until meltingly tender.
Perfectly grilled salmon/seafood following the 70/30 rule Have the grill hot, lightly brush both sides of fish with oil, and start grilling skin side up with the grill closed. (Or
put a disposable pan over the fish). Leave it alone until about 70 percent of the fish is done on first side. You’ll know it by the looks and also if it will release easily. This allows fish to form a nice crust. Turn it and finish cooking. The rule of about 7-10 minutes per inch of thickness works, also. Start with 7 minutes and go from there.
Readers want to know:
Honing steels: “My honing/ knife steel doesn’t work anymore. Should I replace it?” Run your thumbnail around the circumference of the tool. If you can still feel grooves, your steel is still useful. It is magnetized to pick up microscopic fillings that come off the knife’s blade. It’s a good idea to rub the steel with a
cloth after use so grooves don’t get clogged. Now unless the honer has diamond chips in it, most steels won’t sharpen a dull knife (they restore the knife’s bite by straightening the microscopic “teeth” at the edge that fold with use). Now even if your honing steel is in good condition, sometimes a knife doesn’t respond to honing. If that happens, it’s time to get the knife sharpened professionally.
Coming soon
Hotel Sinton’s pea salad
Rita Nader Heikenfeld is an herbalist, educator and author. Find her blog online at Cincinnati.Com/blogs. Email her at columns@communitypress.com with “Rita’s kitchen” in the subject line. Call 513-248-7130, ext. 356
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