Focus on food: March 16, 2009

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Ingredients:
1 ¾ lb onions
2 ½ lb carrots
Lees Market's own 6 lb. corned beef brisket or round,
spiced or unspiced
1 cup malt vinegar
6 oz. irish stout
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
½ tablespoon black peppercorns
½ tablespoon dill seed
½ tablespoon whole allspice
2 bay leaves
3 lb. cabbage, rinsed
2 1/2lb small red potatoes
½ cup coarse grain mustard
½ cup dijon mustard

Method of Preparation:
1. Coarsely chop enough onions and carrots to make 1 c. of each. In a roast pan, place onions, and carrots, corned beef with any liquid, vinegar, stout, mustard seed, coriander, peppercorns, dill, allspice, and bay leaves. Add water to barely cover beef. Cover pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer until meat is tender when pierced, 2 ½ to 3 hours.

2. Meanwhile, cut remaining onions into wedges. Cut remaining carrots into 2 inch lengths, halve them lengthwise if large. Cut cabbages in half through cores, then into wedges. Scrub potatoes.

3. Add onion, carrots, potatoes to tender corned beef, place cabbage on top. Cover and return to simmering over high heat; reducing heat and simmer until cabbage is tender when pierced. 20-25 minutes.

4. With a slotted spoon, scoop out vegetables into serving dishes. Remove beef to a cutting board; cut off and discard fat. Slice meat across grain and serve with mustards.

Serves 12.