When Covid hit, and my health declined due to breast cancer et al, it became necessary for me to prep and cook my own food. The celiac disease makes it dicey to eat out in restaurants, as well as bringing in take-out, altho many places advertise as being gluten friendly; it’s SO easy to get accidently glutened. I’ve done it to myself, in my own kitchen!
So, I decided to make it fun, financially viable (most dishes call for high end ingredients), and built a culinary bucket list to cook from. Some dishes have been ok, and some were spectacular as expected! Others however, like the Passover/Easter Best Ever Jewish Brisket, failed miserably, and this write-up will be it’s final eulogy.
Even at $4.99/lb., it was still an expensive chunk of meat. I had no idea what I was ordering, and absolutely trust my Butcher with my gut health – so I didn’t ask questions when ordering; I didn’t realize I’d need a bundle buggy to get this thing home!!! Truly magnificent, I’m sure – it was a beast weighing in at 10.36 pounds. Shrink wrapped, beautifully preserved, and safely hidden in the fridge, until I could gather the bravery needed to cut it open, and cut it up. I couldn’t do it.
It sat in my fridge for a week – finally a good friend (who was helping with other odd jobs) was tasked to cut it up into 2 chunks – one for the upcoming meal, and one crammed into a zip log bag that (thank God) I didn’t need to touch.
The thought of that other hunk of meat (now stuffed in my freezer), is parked somewhere, in the back of my mind. I won’t be cooking it for a while…..lol!!!
As for the experience itself, I had lots of fun finding recipes and taking bits and pieces from several, and making the recipe my own. Having some fresh spices to add to the dish always makes me particularly happy – and stripping off the rosemary and thyme from their stems is always when I make my best ‘joojoo’ for the dishes I create. Every one of them is made mindfully, with much love and many blessings passed along to those I feed.
The dinner was declared delicious by all who were brave enough to eat it. I DID hand it over with a health warning, as well as the explanation there was no gravy provided, because the sludge leftover (altho pure umami) was beyond safe for human healthy consumption. Not even sure it’s fit for the pigs…but I’ll check that out. I’d never dream of serving it to Cocoa (the little male calf I sponsor) … can you imagine what bad form that would be? Like offering the pork ribs to Hannah, Violet and their bunch! I’m ALWAYS particular about clarifying what’s in the scraps that go up to Kamp Kiki Animal Sanctuary!
As for the brisket and leftovers – my lovely friend is coming to rescue me from them – I’ve scraped everything into a container for her to pick up. Now, it’s just scullery time – doing all those grease covered pans. Never Again!!!!
OYMYLANTA!!!!!! (did u see what I did there?) lol
