Wild Mushroom Beef Brisket

By nlhartman

From Good Housekeeping Magazine

Ingredients

• 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
• 3/4 c. boiling water
• 7 T. vegetable oil
• 1 4 lb. beef brisket, trimmed
• 2 med onions, finely chopped
• 3 T. balsamic vinegar
• 3 T flour
• 2 c. beef broth
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together
• 1 1/2 lb. mixed wild mushrooms, sliced
• 2 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

Step 1

In medium bowl, combine dried porcini mushrooms and boiling water. Let soak 20 minutes. With spoon, remove dried porcinis from water; coarsely chop. Strain soaking liquid through fine-mesh sieve; reserve liquid and discard sandy solids.
Preheat oven to 325.
In large wide-bottomed Dutch oven or oven-safe saucepot, heat 3 T. oil on med-high until hot. Season brisket all over with 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper. Add brisket to pot; cook 6-7 min. or until browned on both sides, turning over once. Transfer brisket to large plate.
To same pot, add onions and 1/4 t. salt. Cook 3-5 min. or until browned, stirring frequently. Add vinegar. Cook 1 min. or until reduced, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon. Sprinkle in flour; cook 1 min., stirring.
To pot, add chopped dried porcinis, reserved soaking liquid, broth, thyme, brisket and 1/2 c. water. Heat to boiling on high. cover and place in oven. Cook 3-3 1/2 hours or until brisket is very tender. Remove and discard thyme. Skim and discard any fat.
Meanwhile, in 12-in. skillet, heat remaining 4 T. oil on med-high. Add sliced mushrooms and 1/2 t. salt. Cook 15 min. or until browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Off heat, add parsley, tossing to combine.
To serve, thinly slice brisket and return to pot, pouring cooking liquid over meat. Serve topped with mushrooms.