BEST SOUP IN TORONTO

Left-Over Braised Brisket Sammy

On Jewish holidays, we don't have turkey and cranberry sauce. But people have been known to ohh and ahh when the Brisket is pulled out of the oven. In my family, like all proper Jews, we always end up with far too much food, so I have created a riff on that OTHER holiday sandwich.
To Make the Brisket
2-pound brisket
2 tbs all-spice
1 tbs cumin
.5 tsp ground cardamom
.4 tsp ground ginger
2 large white onions, chopped
4 medium carrots, cut into 1"-thick half moons
4 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 whole garlic cloves
.5 cup red wine you would drink
2 cups chicken, beef or veg stock
2 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Season meat with salt and pepper. Mix all the spices together and give your meat a dry rub (this should ideally be done the night before). Make sure to really massage the meat, working the spice blend all over. Heat the olive oil in your dutch oven until the oil is shimmering. Brown the brisket on all sides, which helps to lock the flavor. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the rest of your veggies until soft and then add red wine to deglaze the pan, meaning that with the help of the liquid and your wooden spoon, you remove all the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Those have the most flavor, so you want them in your sauce. Cook until the alcohol aroma has left the wine, and then add your meat and stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for as long as possible (6 hours is not too much, it is practically impossible to overcook this puppy.) Serve hot with all the fixings (tzimis, horseradish, fish, salad, ect). Reserve braising jus as well as leftover meat, they may come in handy.
Left over Sandwich
1 large white onion, julienne
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup pulled left-over brisket
1/2 cup left-over braising jus
1 tbs of any condiment of your choice (mustard, mayo, whatever) 1 tsp freshly grated horseradish
Any fresh, delicious country bread
Salt to taste
Heat Add olive oil to a small pot and heat until shimmering. Add onions and let them get brown and crispy. Add salt, reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Heat up a ladle of the remaining jus in a pan, until it is bubbling. Add the leftover brisket and cook until warmed through. put onto bread with condiment, fresh horseradish, and caramelized onions. Zei Gezunt.
Photo and Food Styling by Reena Newman

Daily Round-Up

1. Sadly, two Ossington Strip staples have closed down. La bar a Soup and the Get Real Cafe, both of which were there long before the hipsters showed up, just couldn't compete with the massive amounts of competition that showed up over night.

2. Wine trends are really funny when you work as a server. Last year, everyone ordered Shiraz without even glancing at the menu. This year, Malbec has taken over. And just wait, I bet in 2011 Merlot and Chardonnay will come full circle. Here is an article about wine trends of the last 10 years.

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Round-Up

Today's food news.
1. A wine that goes well with video games. Natch. If you only knew the hours I have spent in EB Games over the years...
http://www.thestar.com/living/article/736093--wine-that-goes-well-with-game-especially-video-game

2. The hot chocolate I just drank is making me feel a little bit sick. It's a slow food day, alright?

3. I really liked this article, but maybe it's because I had a 10 course meal cooked for me by Daniel Boulud last year.

4. enRoute's 10 best new restaurants in Canada. I don't believe the one in Ottawa is really in the top 10, I just think they had to expand their picks beyond Montreal and Toronto.
http://enroute.aircanada.com/en/articles/canada-best-new-restaurants-2009/page:3

Azura Lamb Eggplant

Food Photography and Styling by Reena Newman.

On a recent trip to Israel, I had the best meal of my life at Azura, a tiny Iraqi restaurant in the Machane Yehuda. I recreated my favorite dish.
Enjoy!







1 large eggplant
.5 lbs ground beef
.5 lbs ground lamb
.5 onion, diced
1/4 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds
.5 pomegranate, seeded
2 tbs coarsely chopped parsley
2 tbs toasted pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

Tahini
2 cloves minced garlic
lemon from 2 lemons
1/2 cup of tahini
1/4 cup water
1 tsp coarsely chopped parsley

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Place eggplant on a lined baking sheet and puncture holes with a sharp knife, so the eggplant doesn't explode in the over.
Cook the eggplant for 25 minutes or until completely soft on the inside and the outer skin is shriveled.
When the eggplant has cooled, cut it in half length-wise. Use a sharp knife and make sure that the stem is still on, just because it looks nicer. Scoop out the insides, so the eggplant skin acts as a bowl for you meat mixture.
Make the Tahini by adding the sesame paste to the garlic and lemon juice and whisk. It will start to separate, the acidity of the lemon reacts to the high fat content of the paste, so slowly add water until its at your desired consistency. Remember that you want to pour it over top two eggplant halves, so you want it to be a little bit runny. Add parsley.
Mix lamb and beef together and add spices. Heat a pan over medium high and add onions. Cook until translucent and add meat. Cook the meat for 5 or 6 minutes, until its no longer red in the center. If you like, add some of the eggplant meat you scooped out earlier and cook for 1 minute.
Scoop into your skins, top with tahini, pomegranite seeds, pine nuts and fresh parsley.
Enjoy.

How to Cut an Onion. Properly.