St. Patrick's Day Feast - Corned Beef and Cabbage

March 11th, 2010 in eat, drink, be merry by Pamela Irene

With St. Paddy’s Day just around the corner, I’d like to share with you how I celebrate the day; with a meal that is truly a feast!

This recipe has been in my family for 18 years and came to be through from my Irish Father. Way back then, he referred me to his friend and the owner of Cryan’s Beef and Ale located in South Orange NJ. I gathered the nerve to call him at the restaurant (this was before the days of internet) and since my Dad practically used to live there, he happily shared it with me.

I recommend getting a jump start top of the morning. It is super easy but will take several hours to simmer this to perfection. That is the key word, simmer. It is vital to sustain a slow simmer after you bring it to it’s first hard boil. Trust me, it will be incredibly delicious and will practically melt in your mouth.

For sandwiches that are just as good as the main meal, be sure to have a loaf of Rye bread, some quality stone ground mustard, horseradish and mayonnaise. (I love a good Reuben, so I’m going to add to that list sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing ~Stef)

For dessert, make sure to check out the Irish Bread pudding recipe (you won’t be sorry!)

Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe

Ingredients:

• 2-3 pounds (flat cut) corned beef brisket with spice packet
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 to 3 rutabagas, cut in chunks
• 1 pound carrots, or about 8 to 10, trimmed, and left whole
• 10-15 small red potatoes
• 8 small whole onions, peeled
• 1-2 large head cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Place corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef and 1 bay leaf and onions. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim off foam. Simmer on low approximately 50 minutes per pound or until fork tender.

2. Add whole potatoes, rutabagas and carrots, and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove meat and let rest 15 minutes.

3. Place vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid reserved in the Dutch oven or large pot) as you want. Slice meat across the grain. Serve corned beef surrounded with vegetables.

(serves 8-10)

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Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe

November 19th, 2009 in eat, drink, be merry, recipes by Pamela Irene

What Thanksgiving Table is complete without stuffing? Pamela Irene, one of the best cooks I know, shares her recipe with we heart this…

Hooray, it’s Thanksgiving! I can practically taste the meal as I type. I love making homemade pies, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and peas with onions too. Great, now I am hungry and I haven’t even started my spiel! Without question, this amazing day is my most favorite holiday of the year. Okay, Thanksgiving is neck and neck with Christmas Eve dinner (an Italian feast) and St. Patrick’s Day, but really, you’re hearing it from the mouth of an Irish and Italian food fanatic.

Families all over the US have their favorite Thanksgiving dishes, and the endless side dishes could easily reach the heavens. My favorite is stuffing, I love it! It’s easy to make and it goes so well with the rest of the trimmings.

I’d like to share a simple stuffing recipe with you. I hope that it will become one of your favorites too. The stuffing can be prepared the day before, but the turkey should be stuffed just before going into the oven (the filling is more perishable than turkey, so it’s better to keep it in a container in the refrigerator until use). You will flip over this basic stuffing!

Thanksgiving Stuffing
1 1/2 pounds ground sage pork sausage (Jimmy Deans works well)
4 large onions, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
6 cups crumbled cornbread (harden in bowl overnight)
6 cups cubed good white bread (harden in bowl overnight)
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

-Place the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking sausage apart with a fork, until evenly brown. Set aside, reserving pan drippings.

-Sauté, onions, celery, garlic in the pan drippings until soft and they begin to brown slightly.

-In a large bowl, toss together the sausage, onions and celery, and garlic cornbread, white bread, broth, and eggs. Mix in poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.

-Stuff the turkey with this prior to roasting. Or you can also cook this in a crock pot on low for 4-5 hours and keep warm until ready for din-din!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I’m grateful for you all!

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