The Costco near my parent’s house has started carrying a wider range of fresh kosher meats (pre-packaged elsewhere), and my mom and dad were kind enough to pick me up a huge tray of chicken breasts plus a first-cut brisket the last time they went shopping. The brisket is packaged by Teva Meats, and the one I got was a very manageable size — just under 3 lbs. J. was impressed with how nicely it was trimmed; there was little for us to do to prep it for the Crock-Pot.
We made up this recipe as we went along: First we dumped lots of cut-up potatoes, carrots, and onions in the bottom of the crock, and placed the brisket, which had been rubbed with a packet of Lipton onion soup mix, on top. No liquid to start. The cover went on and we cooked it on high for an hour, then put it on low for about another 6 hours. Somewhere in there — maybe 2 hours before we took it out? — J. added a squeeze of tomato paste and a little red wine. When it was done, we removed the brisket to slice it, and then added it back into the crock to serve.
It was very good, and not too much like pot roast, which I feared it would be. In fact, because of the onion soup it was a lot saltier than foods I normally cook, and it actually reminded me a little of pastrami. It was very tender, and because it was a lean cut of meat there wasn’t a lot of grease left in the crock. Braised meats like this (and stews) are not my favorite, but I still found it tasty. J. and his parents really loved it. I can’t say that I’d make it again, but J. might!
I had one last green cabbage left from my farm share, and I used it in this Hungarian Beef and Cabbage Casserole I found on Cookthink. I often find nice recipes on this site, but I don’t see too many people mentioning it online — it’s funny how some recipe sites catch on and others don’t seem to.
Although the recipe calls for a savoy cabbage, I used a green cabbage instead. Savoy cabbage leaves are more loosely packed, and so I think that I wound up using at least half again more cabbage than the recipe calls for. I also used a full cup of vegetable broth, double what the recipe required. Otherwise, I followed it as written, both in ingredients and preparation. The casserole fills a 9 x 13 casserole dish all the way to the top.
All the grown-ups loved it! The cabbage from my CSA is consistently delicious and buttery, and it was so good in this dish. It reminded me a little of a cross between goulash and stuffed cabbage. A little extra chopped parsley sprinkled on top helps this otherwise very blah-looking meal pop.
This is not really a recipe, just a dump and set: Add about 1.5 lbs. of trimmed skirt steak to your slow cooker, cover with a bottle of barbecue sauce (I used an 18 oz. bottle of Open Pit Original Barbecue Sauce), and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred. Serve on a roll or over rice.
J. felt lukewarm about the results, which are as tender as can be but a little vinegary (the vinegar flavor from the barbecue sauce is definitely heightened as the steak cooks). I thought it was a nice change of pace from Ropa Vieja, which is usually how I prepare skirt steak in my Crock-Pot, and you can’t beat it for easiness. I want to try the “dump a jar of barbecue sauce” technique on some chicken breasts next.
I bookmarked this recipe for Beef & Cabbage Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce months ago, and finally made it on Monday evening. Although I wasn’t planning on cooking this week, Monday was filled with too many “tastes” of frosting after making cupcakes for a birthday playdate, and all that sugar does not agree with me. I felt like I needed a proper dinner, not just G.’s leftover mac and cheese. I had almost everything in the house, and needed to use up my arrowhead cabbage anyway.
The major change I made to this recipe was using tahini (sesame paste) instead of the peanut butter, because I thought J. might eat with me and he doesn’t care for PB. I left out the optional peanuts for garnish and the sugar, too. I like sesame sauces, and the slightly heavy flavor of the beef pairs really well with the light cabbage. It was a little less flavorful than I would have liked, though, and I would remedy that next time by including green onions in with the cabbage mixture, and subbing a teaspoon or so of the canola with sesame oil.
I didn’t bother with noodles — the shredded cabbage feels like pasta anyway, and I didn’t miss them at all. I would definitely make this recipe again, with the adjustments I mentioned. Leftovers tasted terrific, too.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:
Want to Try
Cheesy Kale Crisps: We rarely eat kale now that our farm share is over, and I want to fix that. I've wanted to try using nutritional yeast, and this recipe looks like a tasty way to do it.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
Want to Try Archives