Cookin' With Leo
By
Leocthasme
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Even if it ain't Saint Paddy's Day.
Ya'll don't have to sit around all year long just waitin' for some special day to pop up so you can cook up a special dish just because you think that is the day to do it. This is a good recipe for any day of the week or Sunday too for that matter, when the preacher is droppin' by for a free meal. But, then this is pretty good stuff to be pitchin' to pulpit pounders, unless it's Saint Paddy himself. This recipe comes from a long line of Irish fore bearers, Mine? Only Paddy himself knows. Most of my Irish fore bearers never learned to boil water much less fix the likes of this traditional dish, and my Dear sweet Italian Fairy Godmother, in all her wisdom, never ever heard of it. After all Saint Patrick himself stole the recipe from a book of 'Caesar's Concubine's Culinary Considerations' while Rome was being invaded about 400AD, so how would she have heard of it. Next time she bugs me, I think I'll try to educate her (is that possible?).
Now then you will probably have to go and visit your friendly neighborhood butcher shop to find a nice 3 or 4 pound corned beef brisket. So get a move on and re-introduce yourself, after all it's been a while since you last visited him. And, don't just bug him to pick out the best brisket in the place, look around, and check out the other good stuff he has. Puttin' a smile on his face might get you that better brisket.
And, here is the other stuff you will need:
½ cup finely chopped onion.
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced.
2 or 3 nice bay leaves.
One nice sized head of cabbage, cored and cut into wedges.
1 cup of maple flavored syrup
½ cup dejon mustard
½ cup good hot horseradish.
And here is how to do it:
Place the meat in a large pot with a lid that fits. Add water just to cover. Toss in the onions, garlic, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer and cover. Simmer for one hour and then drain the water and discard the bay leaves. Cover with fresh water and simmer again for about 3 hours or until meat is tender. Meanwhile you can mix together the maple flavored syrup, mustard, and horseradish and keep it warm in a covered saucepan on the stove. Remove the meat from the pot and place in a shallow baking pan. Keep the water to boil the cabbage. Spoon about ½ the syrup mixture over the meat and keep the rest for serving with the meat. Heat in oven at 350° for 20 minutes and baste with the liquid in the pan. Remove from the oven and let rest, brush the remaining syrup mixture over the meat so as to glaze it. The cabbage should be tender in about 20 to 30 minutes and, if desired, you can add small scrubbed red potatoes and sliced pieces of carrots to the pot of cabbage while cooking it.
Serve a nice thick slice of the meat with some syrup spooned over it with a wedge of the cooked cabbage.
And Bless Saint Paddy For Stealing This Recipe From Caesar!
|
