Make Three Meals From One Brisket

Rachael Ray Dishes Some Of Her Recipes

Sept. 10, 2007 —

Perky talk show host and cook Rachael Ray became famous as one of the Food Network's biggest stars. Now, with her own daytime talk show, Ray has expanded her success, but she hasn't forgotten some audience favorites.

On "GMA" this morning she shared her most downloaded recipe and discussed how to make a three different meals from a brisket. Check out her recipes below.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2 tablespoons butter

2 pounds all-white meat ground chicken breast

1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 ribs celery, finely chopped

5 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon smoked paprika (you can substitute with chipotles or chipotle chili powder)

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chicken stock

¼ - ½ cup hot sauce, depending on how hot you like it

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce (if you have a big can of tomatoes, don't go to the store to get the sauce, it's fine. Just use what you have)

1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 7-ounce bag yellow corn chips

1 7-ounce bag blue corn chips

¾ pound blue cheese, crumbled, recommended type Maytag Blue

½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped (a couple of handfuls)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F or broiler to medium

Place a large pot over medium-high heat, add 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon, and the butter. Once the butter has melted and the pot is hot, add the ground chicken. Brown it, using the back of a wooden spoon to break it up in to small pieces, about 5-6 minutes. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes, and bring up to a bubble. Simmer for 8-10 minutes to let the flavors come together.

While the chili is simmering, spread the yellow and blue corn chips out on a cookie sheet. Top with the crumbled blue cheese and transfer to the oven to melt the cheese, about 4-5 minutes. If using the broiler, 2-3 minutes should do the trick. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Top each serving of buffalo chicken chili with a few blue cheese-topped corn chips.

Yields 4 servings

Brisket

This meal is the base recipe for two different leftover meals, all equally as delicious as the first! Have Debris for brunch and Leftover Brisket Ragu with Pasta [0] for dinner. That's three meals out of one!

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

4 ½-pound beef brisket, trimmed of some of the fat but not all

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 softball-size onions, sliced

2 pounds small carrots, peeled and trimmed, half chopped and half left whole, divided

4 ribs celery, chopped

10 large cloves garlic, crushed

20 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed and chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups white wine

1 quart chicken stock

½ cup (a couple of handfuls) flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Preparation Preheat oven to 325°F.

"I have a pretty well-equipped kitchen, with lots of really big pots and Dutch ovens at home," says Rachael. "But, I don't have one big enough to cook a huge brisket like this one. If you do, leave the brisket whole. If not, after you trim the brisket of some of the fat, cut it in half widthwise. "

Place your largest Dutch oven over medium-high heat with 3 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. While the oil is heating up, liberally season the brisket first with the pepper and then with the salt -- don't be shy about seasoning the meat. Once the oil has started to ripple, add whole brisket or one of the halves to the pot and brown thoroughly on one side before turning over onto the second side. If brisket was halved, once the first piece has browned, turn it on its small side, standing it up against the side of the pot so that you are browning every little inch. Once the first half is standing up on its end, add the second half of the brisket to the pot and repeat the same process, working both pieces at the same time.

Once both pieces are nice and brown, remove them from the pot and reserve. Add sliced onions, chopped carrots, chopped celery, crushed garlic and thyme. Cook for about a minute, stirring to scrape up all of the bits on the bottom of the pot. Add tomato paste and cook for another minute or so. Add wine, chicken stock, parsley and browned brisket back to the pot.

Nestle the brisket down into the liquids and bring up to a simmer. Place a lid on the pot and transfer to the oven. Don't forget to bend your knees -- this pot is heavy and no meal is worth throwing your back out for!

Braise for 2 hours then add the whole carrots to the pot. Return the lid and continue to braise for another hour. Remove the pot from the oven and stick the brisket with a fork at its thickest part. If the fork easily slips out, the brisket is tender and ready. If not, return it to the oven for another 20 minutes and check it again. Once it is tender and out of the oven, let it rest in the pot with all the liquids for about 15 minutes. Remove brisket from the pot to a cutting board and slice it into about 1/4-inch thick slices with a long, thin, sharp knife against the grain of the meat. Serve a few slices of brisket topped with the sauce and onions with the carrots alongside. Serve with crusty bread, smashed potatoes, orzo or even spaetzle -- anything that helps sops up the sauce.

Yields 8-10 servings

Debris

This is made from the yummy goodness on the bottom of the pan used to make brisket.

ingredients 2 large biscuits, store-bought or handmade

1 pot with "debris" from cooking brisket

¾ cup chicken stock or water

4 eggs

2 tablespoons butter

Splash of heavy cream

Couple drops of hot sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Place the pot with the "debris" over medium-high heat. Add the chicken stock and bring up to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes.

While the "debris" is heating up, melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Beat the eggs in a small mixing bowl with the cream, hot sauce, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scramble to your liking.

Split the biscuits in half, dip the cut sides down into the "debris" and then put on a serving plate.

Leftover Brisket Ragu with Pasta

This rich and meaty pasta sauce is made from leftover brisket.

1 pound rigatoni with lines

Salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

3 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried

Pinch of allspice

3-4 cups leftover brisket, sauce and veggies (whatever you have leftover), roughly chopped

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

½ cup (a couple of handfuls) flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano for passing at the table

Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring up to a boil to cook the pasta. Once the water comes to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and cook pasta until al dente according to package directions.

While the pasta water is coming up to a boil, start the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add garlic, bay leaf and allspice, and cook until golden. Add the chopped, leftover brisket and vegetables. Stir and cook for a few minutes to heat everything through. Add the crushed tomatoes, bring up to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Add the parsley and serve, passing grated Parmigiano Reggiano at the table.

Yields 4 servings