Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick's Day meal.
Every St. Patrick's Day, cooks in restaurants and pubs all over Ireland boil up batches of corned beef and cabbage and ladle it out to hungry tourists looking for a taste of the traditional holiday meal. The Irish themselves hardly ever touch the stuff and swear they had nothing to do with the recipe. Irish immigrants who settled in the northeast may have picked up the idea from Jewish delicatessen where corned beef was popular or from New Englanders who make a similar meal called boiled dinner. Whatever its origins, corned beef and cabbage is a St. Patrick's Day tradition and a simple dish to prepare.
Instructions
1. Rinse the corned beef and place it the pot with peppercorns, salt and a couple of bay leaves. Cover everything with about 2 qt. of cold water making sure that the meat is under an inch of fluid. Bring the water to a rolling boil for about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer for about three hours. While the meat cooks, keep the broth clear. Stir occasionally and skim any foam the rises to the top of the water.
2. Add the potatoes, turnips, carrots and onions and enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes.
3. Add the wedges of cabbage and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. When cooked, the cabbage should be tender, a knife should cut easily through the vegetables and the meat should be moist and easy to break apart.
4. Melt the stick of butter and add the freshly chopped parsley.
5. Place the corned beef in the middle of the patter. Surround the meat with the vegetables and drizzle a few spoonfuls of broth over everything. Pour the melted butter and parsley over the vegetables and serve.
Tags: beef cabbage, about minutes, corned beef, corned beef, simmer about
