Braising and Frying


Braising and frying; two of my favorite cooking techniques could not be any more different from each other, but both contribute much to my table.


The luxurious slowness of a braise is my favorite thing to do on an early spring Sunday. Low and slow, a perfume of fragrant ingredients permeating my whole house. Beef and pork are the obvious choices for a braise, though I have used the technique on leeks, rabbit, cabbage, and beans with much success. It's a great choice for a lazy Sunday, plop some meat or veg in a casserole with some liquid and aromatics and let it do all the work while you catch up on Law & Order SVU episodes.

The braised brisket recipe below has an extra step or two (marinating and reducing a sauce) but it's not difficult and it yields a more elegant dish. I like to serve it with potatoes (mashed if I'm feeling like that extra effort, roasted if not) and something green - asparagus, green beans, a salad, whatever. For wine, I like a fuller bodied red blend from the south of France. It has the weight to stand up to the sturdy braise but the fruitiness to play against the ultra savory flavors.


The speedy and satisfying action of a fry delivers crispy, crunchy deliciousness. I prefer a shallow fry - the shallow fry uses less oil, it heats up faster, and I get to use my favorite cast iron skillet. I fry chicken (the worlds most perfect food), double-fry potatoes to make potato skins or french fries, and recently, while looking for a fun way to cook cauliflower, I made the Korean Fried Cauliflower recipe below. 

There are a lot of recipes for 'Korean Fried Cauliflower' out there and mine is unique because of a unique ingredient in the sauce; gochujang sriracha from a company in Brooklyn, NY called Bushwick Kitchen 'Weak Knees'. It's delicious and easy to find on the web. They also make a spicy honey that is fantastic on fried chicken. The cauliflower dish is a sweet/spicy full-flavored dish that you can snack on as is for an appetizer or throw it on some rice with some steamed bok choy for dinner. Super easy. I served mine with a dry Riesling from Germany and it was perfect.


I hope you'll give these recipes a try and if you want more detailed wine recommendations send me a message and I'll hook you up!



Red Wine Braised Beef Brisket
Serves 6
*Adapted from a Food & Wine recipe

Ingredients
2 ½ lbs beef brisket, fat trimmed
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 stems fresh rosemary
2 tsps whole peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup canola oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 medium shallots, finely diced
2 Granny Smith apples, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp chopped thyme
¾ cup chicken stock
2 Tblsp cold butter

Prep
In a large resealable plastic bag combine brisket with red wine, vinegar, rosemary, peppercorns, garlic and red onion. Close the bag, pressing out any air and marinate in the fridge overnight.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Strain the marinade, discarding solids, and set aside. Pat the brisket dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Heat a large enameled cast-iron casserole over medium-high heat and add canola oil. When oil is shimmering add the brisket and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer brisket to a large plate or platter. Add shallots and apples and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Return the brisket and add the bay leaf, thyme, chicken stock and the reserved marinade. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover and braise in the oven about 3 hours, until the meat is very tender; turn the brisket halfway through cooking.

Carefully transfer brisket to a plate or platter and cover to keep warm. Strain cooking liquid into a heatproof measuring cup. Wipe out the casserole and add the cooking liquid. Boil over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Swirl in cold butter until incorporated and sauce is glossy, season with salt and pepper to taste. Thinly slice brisket across the grain and serve with sauce.


Korean Fried Cauliflower
Serves 4


Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, trimmed into florets
1 cup milk
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying


Sauce:
⅓ cup honey
¼ cup gochujang sriracha*, such as Bushwick Kitchen's 'Weak Knees'
¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
¼ cup chopped cilantro for garnish


Prep
Heat a large cast-iron pan filled with vegetable oil to medium-high heat. Don’t fill the pan more than ½ way full with oil.


Whisk milk, flour and spices in a medium mixing bowl. Put panko in a shallow dish for dredging. Dip cauliflower into batter and shake off excess, then dip into panko, moving it around to coat. Fry breaded cauliflower in batches until golden (about 6-10 minutes depending on the oil heat and how large your florets are. Flip the cauliflower to brown on all sides.


In a large bowl whisk the honey, gochujang sriracha and ketchup until incorporated. Add warm fried cauliflower and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro and serve immediately.

*If you don’t have Weak Knees gochujang sriracha (pretty easy to find on the web) you can substitute just plain sriracha but it’s worth seeking out.

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