Many Jewish families have a favorite tzimmes that they make for holiday dinners. Tzimmes vary tremendously, but all tzimmes are stews of sweet vegetables and fruits, usually with beef brisket or ribs. Since a long list of ingredients and the cook’s pride can be involved in a tzimmes, the word has come to mean “a big fuss” in Yiddish slang. Like many slow-cooked stews and casseroles Tzimmes can taste even better the next day – good news for cooks who like to get the work done ahead of time.

Ingredients

• 3-4 pound flat cut beef brisket
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 carrots, peeled
• 2 cups beef stock or water
• 1 cup red wine
• 20 prunes, peeled and thinly sliced into disks
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the beef and season it with salt and pepper. In a large ovenproof pan, heat the oil and put the fattiest side of the beef on it. Let it sear for a 3-4 minutes then turn it over. Sprinkle on the onion and garlic. Tuck around it the celery pieces, the bay leaves and 2 carrots, each cut in 2. Pour on the stock or water and the red wine. Bring to simmering point, cook on the stove for 5 minutes then and transfer to the oven. Let it simmer, checking and basting 2-3 times for 2 hours.

Remove the pan from the oven. With a slotted spoon take out and discard the carrot and celery pieces. Also, remove a cup of the broth.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with enough cold water to make a smooth paste. Stir in the cup of broth, then return this mixture to the pan, stirring it into the liquid. Add the remaining carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces to the pan along with the prunes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary. Finally, add the sweet potato slices keeping them on top. Cover the pan and bring to simmering on top of the stove. Return it to the oven and let it simmer there for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are lightly browned. For serving, remove the beef and slice. Put the slices on a platter and partly cover them with the vegetables and sauce from the pan. Serve the rest of the vegetables and sauce separately.