Molasses-ginger cookies recipe

Molasses-Ginger Cookies | Pamela Salzman

Just in time for your cookie exchange!  These cookies are chewier than a gingersnap, but still wow you with that sweet and spicy kick.  I love rolling them in unsweetened, shredded coconut instead of the traditional granulated sugar, but they are just as good without the additional adornment.

Molasses-Ginger Cookies | Pamela Salzman

Let’s discuss some of the sweeteners used in this recipe.  I used organic brown sugar as my first sweetener.  I wouldn’t call brown sugar a high-quality sweetener, but it provides the flavor and tenderness I am looking for.  I choose the organic version to avoid the high concentration of pesticides found in regular brown, but this ain’t health food.  The other sugar is called Rapadura or a similar product goes by the name Sucanat, short for sugar cane natural.  These are minimally processed organic cane sugars which still contain the vitamins and minerals naturally found in the sugar cane plant.  The molasses is still present in these granules, which make it a perfect sweetener for these cookies.  If you can’t find them, use all dark brown sugar.  Lastly, I have used blackstrap molasses in the past, hoping my family will like it as much as regular unsulphured.  But alas, we will sacrifice less iron for less bitterness.  If you enjoy the stronger flavor of blackstrap, by all means use it.  You will be rewarded with a much more mineral-rich cookie.  But the end of the day, we should enjoy what we make and my family and friends adore these cookies with regular unsulphured molasses.

As with most cookie dough, this can be made several days in advance, if kept refrigerated and well covered.  You can just bake the quantity that you need when you need it.  This is especially helpful when your daughters tell you their charity league cookie exchange is on Friday at 4:00 pm and school gets out at 3:00 pm.  Grin (and bake it!).

Molasses-Ginger Cookies | Pamela Salzman

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molasses-ginger cookies recipe
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Serves: 4 dozen 2½ inch cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole grain pastry flour, all-purpose flour, or spelt flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ⅔ cup chopped crystallized ginger (optional)
  • 1 ½ sticks unsalted, organic butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup Sucanat, Rapadura (whole cane sugar) or dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup dark unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
  • 1 large, organic free-range egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup dried, unsweetened shredded coconut or turbinado sugar
Instructions
  1. Mix together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Add crystallized ginger.
  2. With an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add molasses, vanilla and egg and beat until well blended.
  3. Add flour mixture and mix until just blended.
  4. Chill, covered, until firm, at least several hours.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Place the coconut in a small bowl. Form the dough into 1 to 1 ¼ inch balls (an ice cream scooper is helpful) and roll them in the coconut or turbinado sugar. Place them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. You should fit 12 per sheet.
  7. Bake the cookies in the lower third of the oven for approximately 10-12 minutes or until the tops start to crack. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks.

 

Turkey sausages with cabbage and fennel recipe

People ask me all the time for more recipes that are Fast!  No, faster!  And easy!  I understand the challenges that people face when pulling together a weeknight meal, whether they are parents or not.  However, we need to put some time into our cooking.  I haven’t figured out yet how to make something in no time that’s worth eating.  But this sausage and vegetable dish is my idea of fast food.

I buy precooked sausages from Applegate Farms, which don’t contain spooky ingredients like nitrates or nitrites (hooray, no carcinogens!).  Slice up some cabbage and fennel and you’ve got yourself a quick and easy dinner.  Make extra and toss it with pasta the next day, just save some of the pasta cooking water after you drain it if you need to moisten the sausage dish up.  If you have a favorite sausage that is not precooked, I would slice it or remove the meat from the casing and sauté that first.  Remove it from the pan, sauté your vegetables and put the sausage back in.

If you haven’t cooked with fennel before, it has a fresh, licorice undertone and perfectly complements the fennel seed that is usually present in most sausages.   I use red cabbage here for color, for the extra phytonutrients that come with it and the higher C profile than green, but you can certainly use green cabbage if that’s what you have handy.  Cabbage is part of the cruciferous family of vegetables – a group that I encourage you to incorporate regularly into your diet.  These include all the cabbages and kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and bok choy.  These vegetables contain some potent anti-cancer compounds called sulphurophanes.  Cabbage also contains some cholesterol-lowering benefits as well as loads of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.  It is also relatively inexpensive, to boot.  What are you, in love with cabbage or something? Well, maybe I am!


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turkey sausages with cabbage and fennel recipe
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Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon fennel seeds (optional)
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced thinly
  • ½ red or green cabbage, sliced thinly
  • 2 fennel bulbs, tops removed and bulbs sliced thinly
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 nitrate-free, pre-cooked sausages, sliced on the diagonal as small or large as you prefer. I cut each link into 4 or 5 slices.
  • ⅓ cup dry white wine
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and stir until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add onion, cabbage and fennel. Season with sea salt and pepper and sauté until just tender.
  3. Add sausages and cook until heated through.
  4. Add white wine to deglaze the pan. Cook until wine evaporates. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

 

Butternut squash, beet and apple skewers recipe

butternut squash, beet and apple skewers | Pamela Salzm

 

I used to struggle coming up with an hors d’oeuvre that was tasty, fresh and didn’t contain tons of dairy.  Have you ever noticed the popular hors d’oeuvres that show up at every cocktail or dinner party – there’s the baked wedge of brie, the spinach and artichoke dip bubbling over with three cheeses AND sour cream, the cheese platter, the mini grilled cheeses and of course, the most sophisticated of all, The Caprese Skewer.  Believe me, I’ve made more than my share of boconcini, basil and grape tomatoes on a toothpick, but people, it is no longer 1999!  We have got to move on!

butternut squash, beet and apple skewers|pamela salzman

So I began thinking about why the Caprese Skewer is so ubiquitous.  The Caprese salad is simple and delicious when showcasing perfect tomatoes, aromatic basil and fresh, creamy mozzarella.  What could be better than having each of those flavors in one delightful bite?  So why not extend the salad-as-skewer idea?  What about a Greek Salad Skewer?  Grape tomato, spinach or mint-wrapped feta, cucumber, and a pitted kalamata olive sprinkled with dried oregano and drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil.  Hmmmm, I like it, but very summery.

It’s Fall, so I roasted butternut squash and apples with rosemary and skewered them together with red beets.  Needs a little green.  Take a piece of arugula or spinach and turn it around a piece of feta so that the feta doesn’t crumble when you skewer it.  Then drizzle it all with a little balsamic and oil.  Who wouldn’t want to eat that??  Don’t answer that.

butternut squash, beet and apple skewers|pamela salzman

butternut squash, beet and apple skewers|pamela salzman

I will forewarn you, there is a bit of prep involved.  There’s chopping and roasting and skewering.   Ah, I am seeing the lure of the ease of the old standby skewer, but these are so worth it.  The colors alone will make your hors d’oeuvre stand out in a sea of cream and you will be a star!

butternut squash, beet and apple skewers | Pamela Salzman

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butternut squash, beet and apple skewers recipe
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Serves: 48 skewers
 
Ingredients
  • ½ medium butternut squash *, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½ –inch cubes
  • 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½ –inch cubes
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 3 medium beets, roasted, peeled and cut into ½ -inch cubes
  • 4 ounces arugula or baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
  • 1 package feta, cut carefully into ½ –inch cubes(optional)
  • 1 Tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed, extra- virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Place the butternut squash cubes in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Transfer to prepared sheet pan and spread out in one layer. Season with sea salt, pepper, and half the rosemary.
  3. Place the apple cubes in the same bowl and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Repeat the same procedure as the squash
  4. Place the sheet pans in the oven and roast squash for about 30 minutes, turning halfway, until tender and slightly caramelized. Roast apples until just tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
  5. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
  6. Thread the squash, apple, beet and arugula or spinach on a small skewer or toothpick. If you decide to use feta, wrap the cube of feta with a leaf of arugula/spinach and skewer. Arrange on a serving plate and drizzle with the vinegar and oil.
Notes
*other ideas include parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes.

 

Muhammara recipe (turkish red bell pepper and walnut dip)

 

muhumara|pamela salzman

I know those holiday parties are coming up and I thought another hors d’oeuvre post would be helpful.  My good friend Cheryl gave me this recipe.  She is an outstanding cook and everything she makes is a home run.  I love the fact that this dip is mostly roasted red bell peppers and walnuts and it is easy-peasy to put together.  A bonus is that it tastes better if you make it ahead and we all know how much I like to prep in advance.   You can certainly use jarred roasted peppers or the ones that you can find in some deli cases, but I find (no surprise, I’m sure) that the ones you make at home taste so much better.  Maybe it’s all that love that goes into them!

muhummara|pamela salzman

muhummara|pamela salzman

 

 

A note about the pomegranate molasses:  I try not to use ingredient that are expensive, hard-to-find or that have a short shelf-life.  I found pomegranate molasses easily at my local Whole Foods and it cost only about $4.  Also, it lasts for a long time, so I didn’t hesitate to keep it on the ingredient list.  However, if you can’t find any and you don’t live close enough to me to borrow it, you can add a drop of raw honey and some extra lemon juice to mimic the tart-sweetness that pomegranate molasses brings to the dish.

muhummara|pamela salzman

 

Here I am serving it with endive leaves and gluten-free sweet potato chips, but feel free to go with the traditional pita or other raw vegetables.

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muhammara recipe (turkish red bell pepper and walnut dip)
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Serves: 2 cups
 
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups raw walnuts
  • ½ cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 3 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped, about 1 ½ cups or 1 12-ounce jar
  • ¼ cup unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses plus more to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • A few shots of hot sauce or ¼ teaspoon ground red chiles, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Toasted pita, your favorite chips or endive leaves
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, add the walnuts and bread crumbs. Process until finely chopped.
  2. Add the roasted peppers and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients (except the pita) and blend.
  3. Taste and adjust with more oil, molasses and/or salt.
  4. Refrigerate, covered until ready to serve. The flavors will come together as the dip sits. Serve with pita, chips or endive leaves.

 

Healthy brown rice pudding recipe

Brown Rice Pudding | Pamela Salzman

Brown rice is a staple in my home.  A simple bowl of steamed brown rice, whether it is short-grain, long-grain, basmati or jasmine is utterly satisfying to me.  I love the nuttiness and wholesomeness of brown over white.  Keeping the rice whole, with the bran and germ layers intact, gives you loads of fiber as well as protein, minerals and essential fatty acids that are stripped away if the grain is polished to white.  Just as those layers protect the kernel of rice, they’ll protect you, too.

Brown Rice Pudding | Pamela Salzman

Sure, brown rice takes 45-50 minutes to cook, as opposed to 20 minutes for white, so that’s why I make a huge batch early in the week and have it on the ready for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Brown Rice Pudding | Pamela Salzman

Are you skeptical about the use of bay leaves in rice pudding?  When my Puerto Rican mother-in-law suggested it to me, I was too.  But it really adds an interesting earthy, floral note to the creamy rice.  It’s definitely not a deal-breaker, though.  Please make this whether you have bay leaves or not.  One ingredient my M-I-L did NOT suggest was using brown rice syrup as a sweetener.  That’s my addition and one of my favorites in the “less refined sweeteners” category.  Brown rice syrup is made by cooking down soaked and sprouted brown rice with an enzyme that breaks the starches into maltose.  It is light and honey-like, but not as sweet with a butterscotch undertone.

Brown Rice Pudding | Pamela Salzman

This brown rice pudding started off as a snack/dessert, but I realized it could do double duty as weekday morning breakfast, especially when everyone is looking for something warm other than oatmeal for a change.  Like I do when I make a big pot of oatmeal for a family breakfast, I set up a “topping bar” for the brown rice pudding.  Each person can choose his or her own favorites add-ons.  There is always fresh seasonal fruit, such as berries or peaches;  dried fruit like Goji berries or blueberries; raw almonds or walnuts; raw cacao nibs; maple sugar and ground cinnamon.  This beats a cold bowl of processed cereal any day!

Brown Rice Pudding | Pamela Salzman

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healthy brown rice pudding recipe
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Serves: 4 for a snack, 2 for breakfast
 
Ingredients
  • ½ 13-ounce can coconut milk or ¾ cup
  • ¾ cup almond milk, rice milk or hemp milk
  • ⅓ cup brown rice syrup
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice (short or long-grain)
  • ½ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 bay leaf
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Whisk together coconut milk, almond milk and brown rice syrup until blended.
  2. Place the cooked brown rice in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot. Add coconut milk mixture, vanilla bean, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, but is still creamy, about 20 minutes.
  3. Turn off heat and remove vanilla bean and bay leaf. Serve warm or room temperature. Pudding will thicken as it sits.
Notes
Other additions: cinnamon stick or cardamom, dried fruit, chocolate chips or chocolate almond milk, pureed pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices, orange or lemon zest

 

Sauteed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts recipe

 

sautéed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts|pamela salzman

Swiss Chard is one of the most nutritious greens you can find year-round.  It is related to beets – in fact, beet greens taste very similar to Swiss chard.  Do eat your dark green leafy vegetables regularly as they are among the most nutrient-dense foods you can choose.  Traditional Chinese Medicine considers green to be the master color, and I think it is the color that should dominate our diet.  Like other green leafies, Swiss chard is full of Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Folate, Vitamin C and Carotenoids, with few calories – a nutritional bargain!

sautéed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts|pamela salzman

 

My maternal grandmother was Sicilian and she used to make this dish with raisins.   One night, this was on the dinner menu and I went to the pantry to reach for raisins and we were out.  Gasp.  But we had dried apricots.  So I soaked a handful of apricots to plump them up a bit and presto, I liked the dish better!  If your kids are not fond of greens yet, try this recipe with their favorite dried fruit.

sauteed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts|pamela salzman

 

Heck, let them put a few chocolate chips on the chard if it will get them to eat their greens.  One step at a time … soon chard might be a staple in your kitchen, too.

sauteed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts|pamela salzman

 

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sauteed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts recipe
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Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup unsulphured dried apricots (about 10)
  • 2 bunches Swiss chard, (about 2 pounds), washed but not dried
  • 1 medium red onion, diced
  • 3 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
  • Optional: best quality balsamic vinegar for drizzling
Instructions
  1. Place the dried apricots in a bowl with hot water to cover. Soak 10 minutes and drain. Chop coarsely or slice into slivers.
  2. Separate the Swiss chard stems from the leaves. Dice the stems and keep separate. Coarsely chop the leaves.
  3. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute. Add the chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped chard leaves and apricots. Lightly season with sea salt and pepper and sauté until the leaves are tender, about 5 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve immediately or at room temperature. You can also drizzle a few drops of balsamic vinegar, if desired.

Sweet potato-coconut soup recipe

 

sweet potato-coconut soup|pamela salzman

We are a family of soup lovers, which is great since soup is generally easy to prepare and I can put leftovers into a stainless thermos the next day in the kids’ lunchboxes (ok, just the older girls; my 7-year-old son won’t be caught dead at school with a thermos.  More on him in future posts.)

sweet potato-coconut soup|pamela salzman

 

Given how much soup I make during the school year,  it says a lot that this sweet potato-coconut soup might have been last year’s favorite.  It is silky and sweet with a rush of orange color that gets me emotional.  But the best part is a little kick of cayenne that is just the perfect way to balance the sweet.  I know, I know.  Those look like yams.  At least that’s what the supermarkets would have you believe and it seems everyone these days is using “yams” and “sweet potatoes” interchangeably.  But technically they are sweet potatoes (either Garnet or Jewel, I can’t remember), and furthermore, “Yam Soup” doesn’t sound very sexy.

Before you think this soup is just another pretty bowl of goodness, allow me to toot the horn of the sweet potato.  This delicious root vegetable is outrageously high in Beta-carotene, a phyto-nutrient that has powerful anti-cancer properties, as well as iron, fiber, potassium and Vitamin C.  In addition, sweet potatoes are excellent vanguards against heart disease.  And yeah, the color is so … well, sweet.

sweet potato-coconut soup|pamela salzman

 

For the vegetarians and vegans in the crowd, feel free to use vegetable stock or water in place of the chicken stock.  You might also note the coconut milk in the ingredient list.  There seems to be a lot of controversial information about coconut products.  My opinion is that you would be wise to consume coconut products the way you would any other high fat food – in moderation.  But there is a lot of interesting evidence which supports coconut’s anti-viral, anti-bacterial properties since coconut is super high in Lauric Acid, a fatty acid found in breast milk with immune-boosting properties.  But nutrition aside, the real reason to enjoy this soup is because it’s just like a cozy hug on a cold night!

sweet potato-coconut soup|pamela salzman

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
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sweet potato-coconut soup recipe
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Tablespoon unrefined, cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes (often labeled yams –red-skinned Garnet or Jewel), peeled and cubed or roasted and peeled
  • 3 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 2-3 Tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
  • ½ 13-ounce can coconut milk*
  • several dashes or more of cayenne or to taste
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and butter until melted. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until tender and translucent, about 6 minutes.
  2. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and toss to coat with the oil, butter and onions. Pour in the chicken stock or water, sea salt and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook partially covered until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
  3. Add the maple syrup, coconut milk and cayenne. Cook until heated through. Puree soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Taste for seasoning. Serve immediately or allow to sit off the heat to thicken slightly.
Notes
*If you prefer to use more coconut milk, use a full can and use 1 cup less chicken stock.

Onion-braised grass-fed beef brisket recipe

 

grass-fed braised beef brisket|pamela salzman

Let me come right out and say that I don’t like to promote the consumption of too much beef for several reasons.  In our house we eat beef about three times per month, and when I make it I plan for about 3-4 ounces per person.   Furthermore, I only purchase GRASS-FED beef.  Call me old-fashioned, but I am a firm believer that if you are going to eat animal protein, then it should be an animal that was raised in a natural environment with a diet that is also native to that species.  With respect to cows, that means cows that graze in pastures eating GRASS.  There is plenty of research supporting the notion that grass-fed beef – compared to its confined feedlot counterpart – is lower in fat and contains cancer preventive, fat-burning properties.  Grass-fed beef also contains higher amounts of Omega-3 fats and is generally raised without the use of antibiotics and hormones.  It is almost like making a choice between eating a fit and happy animal which has eaten a health food diet, and eating a stressed out, overweight animal which was fed fast food its whole life.  If you need more convincing, please read Michael Pollan’s fantastic book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

There’s also the heavy environmental impact of raising cattle, which is less severe with grass-fed beef, but still a discouraging consideration.  That said …

Beef is a very warming food, more appropriate for the colder months, and it becomes even more warming when cooked with onions.  Brisket is a very tough cut that needs long, slow braising to help tenderize it.  If you like your brisket so soft that you don’t need a knife to cut it, this recipe will not disappoint.  The meat shreds easily and melts in your mouth.  Best of all, the house will be filled with a wonderful, warm aroma.  But do plan ahead since cooking this the day before helps to develop the mélange of flavors.  Really, the only way you can screw this up is by letting it dry out.  Lastly, be aware that brisket shrinks tremendously once it has cooked.  A 6-pound brisket fed a class of 12 women with enough for two of my kiddies to enjoy it as an after-school snack.


4.5 from 4 reviews
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onion-braised grass-fed beef brisket recipe
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Serves: 8-12
 
Ingredients
  • 1 5-to-6-pound grass-fed beef brisket, preferably first cut
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt plus more for seasoning
  • ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for seasoning
  • 3 large yellow onions, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 5 cups or 3 pounds)
  • 2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 3 medium tomatoes, if in season, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped (optional)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup red wine (or use all water)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a dutch oven or other heavy baking pan large enough to hold brisket, heat 1 tablespoon oil in oven 10 minutes. Pat brisket dry and season well with salt (I used about 4 teaspoons) and pepper on the top and bottom. Roast brisket in pan, uncovered, 30 minutes.
  3. While brisket is roasting, in a large heavy skillet cook onions in remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened and beginning to turn golden. Reduce heat to moderate and cook onions, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary, until deep golden, about 20 minutes more. Stir in garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper and cook 1 minute. Stir in water and wine and bring to a boil. Spoon onion mixture and chopped tomatoes over brisket and bake, tightly covered, 3 ½ hours, or until brisket is tender. (Check pan every hour and if necessary, add more water.) Remove brisket from oven and let cool in onion mixture 1 hour.
  4. Remove brisket from pan, scraping onion mixture back into pan, and chill, wrapped in foil, overnight. Spoon onion mixture into a 1-quart measure and chill, covered, overnight.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Discard fat from onion mixture and transfer to a blender. Add enough water to the blender to measure 3 cups total. Blend until smooth.
  6. Slice the brisket against the grain as thick or thin as you prefer. In a large ovenproof skillet heat gravy until hot, add brisket and heat in oven 30 minutes. Or you can continue to heat on the stove, covered until heated through.