Beef Brisket with Flying Disks

Brisket:
1 large head garlic, separated into cloves
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 cups dry red wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tspn kosher salt
1/2 tspn black pepper

4 to 5 pound beef brisket
2 tblspn olive oil
2 bay leaves, preferably Turkish
1 tspn dried thyme
1 quart chicken stock, preferably homemade

Horseradish sauce:
1/2 cup finely grated fresh or drained prepared horseradish
1 tblspn snipped fresh chives
1 tblspn fresh lemon juice
1 tblspn white wine vinegar
1 cup sour cream
Kosher salt & black pepper

Flying disks:
1/4 cup chicken stock
4 large eggs, beaten
2 tblspn unsalted butter, melted
1 tspn kosher salt
1 cup matzo meal

Preheat the oven to 325 ° Fahrenheit. Fill a small saucepan with water & add to a boil over high heat. Add the garlic, return to a boil, and cook quickly till slightly softened, about 1 min. Use a slotted spoon to remove the garlic to a bowl of ice water. Peel when cool enough to handle.

Mix the flour, black pepper, & salt in a shallow dish. Add the brisket & turn to coat on all sides. Cast off the excess. Heat the oil in a large covered casserole over medium-high heat almost smoking. Add the brisket and cook, turning frequently, till browned, about 6 to 8 mins per side. Transfer to a platter and decant all but 2 tblspns of the fat. Stir in the onions and the peeled garlic. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, till golden, just about 10 mins. Decant the wine & stir to pick up any browned bits on the bottom of the casserole. Stir in the tomato paste and add the bay leaves and thyme. Increase the heat to high & bring to a boil. Cook quickly, stirring frequently, till almost all the liquid has evaporated. Pour in the stock and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium & add the brisket. Cover tightly with a piece of foil, then cover the pot with the lid. Remove to the lower third of the oven and cook till a fork comes out easily when pierced, 3 to 4 hrs.

Meanwhile, cook the horseradish sauce. Combine the horseradish, sour cream, vinegar, chives, & lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir well to mix and season with salt and black pepper. You should have about 1 cupful. Keep refrigerated till ready to dish.

To cook the disks, whisk the stock, eggs, and butter together in a small bowl. Stir in the salt and matzo meal to form a soft dough. Binding with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hr. Add a large pot of saled water to a boil over high heat. Working with 1 tblspn of the dough at one time, use wet hands to form the dough into disks about 1 1/2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. You should have about 18 disks. Drop them into the boiling water and reduce the heat to medium-low. Binding and simmer till the disks are puffy and cooked through, about 30 to 35 mins.

Remove the brisket from the casserole to a cutting surface & binding loosely with foil. Allow rest for 15 mins. Softly skim the surface of the liquid in the casserole with a spoon to move out as much fat as possible. Move out & discard the bay leaves. Add the disks to the cooking liquid and cook on top of the stove over medium heat, covered, until they have turned dark & have absorbed some of the sauce, about 10 mins.

Slice the brisket on an angle, cutting against the grain of the meat. Put the slices on a warmed serving platter & spoon on some of the horseradish sauce.

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