Corned Beef and Cabbage

Although many people associate corned beef and cabbage with St. Patrick’s day and Ireland – and we enjoyed it yesterday for St. Patrick’s day –  it’s really more Irish-American than Irish.

Corned Beef and Cabbage or New England boiled dinner (which is what my mom and grandmother always called it) is a simple traditional one pot meal that I grew up eating often and have always loved.

It’s usually made with corned beef or smoked ham shoulder and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, cabbage, turnips, parsnips and onions.

While I like the meat, I love all the vegetables even more!

Corned beef and cabbage (or New England Boiled Dinner) is a delicious old-fashioned dish that has a lot going for it. It’s tasty. Easy to prepare. Reminds me of home and growing up in New England. And it makes great leftovers – especially corned beef sandwiches and corned beef hash.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes   Cook Time: 3-4 hours    Total Time: 3.25 -4.25 hours

My old Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School Cookbook suggests enjoying your corned beef and cabbage with hot buttered beets or pickled beets for more color. Others require mustard and horseradish as accompaniments. For my mom and me, it’s not complete without a good splash of apple cider vinegar.

Ingredients

1 2 to 2-1/2 pound corned beef brisket
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns (optional)
1 bay leaf (optional)
2 to 4 medium red-skinned potatoes, quartered
1 to 2 medium sized turnips, peeled and quartered
3 large carrots, peeled and quartered
1 small cabbage, cut into 6 wedges
Prepared horseradish, mustard and vinegar for serving (optional)

Directions

1 Trim any excess fat from the corned beef and place it in a 5 or 6 quart dutch oven.  Add the the juices and spices from the package of corned beef and the pepper and bay leaves if your brisket doesn’t come with an additional packet of spices. Add enough water to cover the meat by 1-inch. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, and then lower the heat and simmer the meat, covered, until tender when pierced with a fork (about 2  to 2-1/2 hours.)

2 Remove meat from the pot and keep warm. To the cooking broth, add potatoes, carrots and turnips. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Add the cabbage wedges. Cover and cook until tender (15 to 20 minutes more).

3 Discard the bay leaf. Thinly slice corned beef across the grain. Place the meat and vegetables on a big serving platter.

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving: (1/6th): 357 calories, 18 g fat, 23 g carbs, 5 g fiber, 25 g protein and 9 WW PointsPlus Value

Links:

Scalloped Corned Beef and Cabbage – Rachael Ray
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage – AllRecipes
Corned Beef and Cabbage Slaw Sliders – Three Many Cooks

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