Brisket in sweet and tangy sauce

Brisket in sweet and tangy sauce,

green beans, rice and a green salad with peanuts and pomegranate

Serve with basmati rice. Feel free to use a larger piece of brisket (cooking time is the same). 

Ingredients

Baked Brisket:

• 1 (2.5-pound) first-cut brisket

• 1 / 2 (2-ounce) box Onion Recipe Soup & Dip Mix (1 envelope)

• 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced

• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced

• 2 celery ribs, peeled and sliced

Sweet-and-Tangy Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 large red onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup golden raisins

• 1 / 4 cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 1 / 2 cup sweet chili sauce*

• 1 / 2 cup dry white wine

• 1 cup water

Method

To make brisket: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub brisket with soup mix, place on a 2-foot piece heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place vegetables atop meat. Fold foil around meat and vegetables and fold foil at seams to seal well into a tight package. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 3 hours. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate overnight.

Next day, open the package and skim off any fat. Cut meat across the grain into 1 / 4-inch-thick slices and place in a nonreactive baking pan.

To make sauce: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

(Optional for a thicker sauce, remove the vegetables and any juices from the foil the meat was cooked in and place in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process into a paste; set aside.)

In a skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook about 5 minutes until golden. Add the optional pureed vegetables, if using for a thicker sauce, as well as the raisins, sugar, vinegar, chili sauce, wine and water; bring to a boil.

Cover the sliced meat with the sauce, cover the pan with foil and bake 30 minutes until heated through. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Per serving (with pureed vegetables in sauce): 540 calories, 28 percent calories from fat, 17 grams total fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 61 milligrams cholesterol, 42 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total fiber, 34 grams total sugars, 39 grams net carbs, 52 grams protein, 854 milligrams sodium.

*Available in the Asian area of supermarkets or at Asian markets.