It was such a nice seder for Passover 2021. Lisa and Eric invited a group to their home in Madison; of the eight, six of us had been vaccinated twice, the others soon to get their second.

We played boules for a couple of hours; I hadn’t seen Jacques, the Hopkins or the Yavaris for over a year.

In addition to appetizers including home-made latkes, along with gefilte fish and chopped liver, we drank wine. For dinner, it was potluck: Jacques made chicken with lettuces (which I had watched him make a week ago on television), Raisa and Paula made roasted vegetables, Lisa made her incredible baby potatoes in truffle oil, and the Hopkinses made cookies. And as if we more needed dessert, there was that, too.

I made a new fresh brisket entrée. I have probably made it 25 times, from many recipes, but I figured if it was my regular brisket, Jacques would know I used Lipton’s onion soup and Coca Cola. So I made the new recipe below. It was so much better than anything I’d ever made before.

Classic Beef Brisket in the Slow Cooker

Adapted from Kitchen by Meghan Splawn (online)

Serves 8

5 to 6 beef brisket, preferably flat cut

2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 large sweet onions, thinly sliced

1 pound sliced mushrooms

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups low-sodium beef broth (I used three tiny bouillon cubes in warm water, well mixed)

½ cup ketchup

½ cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup of Coca-Cola (very much optional)

Pat the brisket dry with paper towels and place into the slow cooker; hopefully the cooker is a 6-quart or larger. (If the brisket has a particularly thick fat cap, you can remove it now. The author doesn’t and neither do I; the fat makes for an even more luxurious brisket.) Sprinkle the brisket on all sides with 1 teaspoon of the salt.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until softened and beginning to brown and char in some spots, at least 15 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes more.

Add smoked paprika, black pepper, thyme, oregano and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally until very fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully added the onions, mushrooms and garlic over the brisket.

Remove the skillet to medium-high heat, add the broth and using a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape all the lovely browned bits up of the bottom. Add the ketchup, brown sugar and tomato paste and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then pour over the onion mixture and brisket. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours (or maybe a bit longer).

Transfer the brisket to a clean cutting board and slice. Either serve immediately or store with the gravy.

To make the gravy: Pour the juice from the slow cooker into that skillet, heat element to high and cook until it is slightly reduced. As it bubbles, in a small bowl add a teaspoon or a bit more of cornstarch and add cold water to make a slurry. Pour it into a bubbling juice and continue to stir the juice. If it needs to be a little thicker, add a bit more cornstarch and cold water to the bubbling juice; continue stirring. Taste and add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

On the Side

I go to so many supermarkets that I can rarely remember which is which. But recently, out to get the smallest size possible container of instant coffee granules (does anyone use instant coffee these days? Why could a recipe call for them?), I browsed for a while. Looked at the tomatoes (why, in March?), bought a little piece of brie and realized I am out of beef consommé, but hadn't written it down.

So, I ended in the soup aisle and saw Progresso dried minestrone soup mix. Just add water, it said. I like Progresso products, so I looked at the ingredients, noting that almost all canned or dried soup still have a lot of salt, but bought a packet anyway. The recipe called for 8 cups of water and serves eight. Nice to keep a few packets in the pantry for these cold nights before spring actually warms up.

Lee White lives in Groton. She can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.