Name: Braised Brisket with Thirty-Six Cloves of Garlic
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients: About 36 fat unpeeled garlic cloves (1 2/3 to 2 cups) or an equivalent amount of smaller cloves, plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 3 tablespoons olive oil; A first-or second-cut beef brisket (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade or good-quality low-sodium purchased; 3 or 4 fresh thyme sprigs, or 2 teaspoons dried leaves; 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Braised Brisket with Thirty-Six Cloves of GarlicLara Ferroni

In my take on the French classic, chicken with forty cloves of garlic becomes brisket with thirty-six cloves. All that feisty garlic turns sweet and mellow with gentle braising; when pureed, it forms a seductive gravy, which is finished with a zing of chopped raw garlic and lemon zest.

Why thirty-six cloves? Beginning with aleph, which equals one, each letter of the Hebrew alphabet stands for a number, and so every word has a numerical value. All multiples of eighteen, the numerical value of the Hebrew word chai, life, are considered especially auspicious, which is why donations to charity and wedding and bar mitzvah gifts are often given in multiples of eighteen.

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