twenty clove brisket

I once bought a brisket of beef, thinking of making my own corned beef. But then I found out that I would need some salt peter, which I would have to find a source for, and that it would have to marinade a week or more. These deterrents (i.e., my inherent laziness and the ready availability of corned beef from supermarkets, made, I reasoned, by someone who probably knew a lot more about corned beef making than I did) were sufficient for me to seek another alternative to the classic New England Boiled Dinner that I was used to. I deemed an overnight marinade would be a reasonably acceptable compromise.

With the rife appearance of vampire and werewolf episodes emanating from my TV set at the time, a modicum of garlic seemed appropriate. So far, it has worked fine.

• 2 lb beef brisket
• 20 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 oz low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
• 10 peppercorns, crushed
• 1 tbsp chinese mustard powder
• 1 tsp <salt>
• 2 oz olive oil
• 4 oz dry red wine
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 20 pearl onions

Mix the crushed garlic, low-sodium Worcestershire, peppercorns, mustard, <salt>, and oil in a sealable plastic bag large enough to hold the brisket. Marinade the brisket in the mixture in the refrigerator at least overnight.

In a Dutch oven just large enough to hold the brisket, sauté the diced onion in the oil until limp. Put the brisket on top of the onions; then add the celery and carrots on top; finally, top with the pearl onions. Add the marinade to the pot, along with the wine and broth.

Bake at 350°F until brisket is tender, about 1½ hours. Remove brisket from the pot and cut across the grain into serving portions. Reserve the pearl onions to serve alongside the brisket. Strain and save the cooking liquid for another use, another day. Serve the brisket with a side of vegetables and, of course, garlic cheese bread †.