Tonight I had a super-hearty dinner with Martha’s Corned Beef and Cabbage from the Northeast on page 99.
Corned beef and cabbage is always a popular dish for Saint Patrick’s Day, but why wait until March to enjoy it? Martha had a recipe for curing your own brisket in brine for two weeks if you wanted to truly make this from scratch. Well, I took the easy way out and bought a corned beef! But I must say it was a truly delicious corned beef that turned out so tender and melt-in-your mouth good!
I’m not generally a big fan of boiling meat. When I was in culinary school we did a boiled beef stew called pot-au-feu and I can’t say I liked it very much, in fact I found it kinda gross! But corned beef is an exception; you need to put it in a big pot of water to cook it right. The trick to getting it right is patience, because it usually needs at least 3 hours to simmer before it’s just right and if you pull it too soon it can be tough and chewy.
In addition to the cabbage I added red potatoes, carrots and celery to the sides, and of course some spicy brown mustard for flavor. Martha’s recipe had baby turnips but unfortunately I couldn’t find any at the market. If you look at my picture compared to hers, my vegetables are clearly not as cute and dainty — but what can I say, it sure was delicious! I liked how this recipe had you cook the veggies in the water the corned beef cooked in because it gave them a wonderful hint of flavor that made this a truly harmonious meal.
I’d like to use the leftovers to make Martha’s corned beef and root vegetable hash for brunch tomorrow. I’m going to take a trip to the store and see if I can find some turnips and/or parsnips to add, but I’m also pretty sure it will be fine with just the potatoes and the carrots. After all, the corned beef is always going to make itself the star of the show.
