Friday, March 18, 2011

St. Patty's Day Feast: Corned Beef, Cabbage & Potatoes
































Let's just say St. Patrick's Day can't be without a slab of corned beef, boiled cabbage and those ultra-starchy potatoes! So for last night's dinner, I did all of the above except for serving everything just plain ol' boiled stuff--the traditional Irish way. I am Filipino, nevertheless, I only become Irish by thought when comes to St. Patrick's Day only (Ha ha!), and tweaking any dish is just my style. By adding a few more steps in my cooking regime yesterday is nothing unusual, and boy, I'm so glad I did because slow roasting a brisket of corned beef and then broiling it in the end made a whole lot of a difference in taste and texture, melts in the mouth kind of thing! Even by simply sauteing the cabbage in olive oil with onions and garlic just made it more sweeter, and roasting potatoes with onions wrapped in tin foil was definitely better than those boiled ones. What more, by reducing the juice from the brisket and using it as a gravy to drizzle over the sliced corned beef was too sinful, yet so flavorful that St. Patrick would probably be rolling down from heaven just to get a taste of it.   

As you can imagine, last night's dinner was pure joy -- even though the luck of the Irish wasn't on our side yesterday (long story to be told!). But lo and behold, my slow roasted  corned beef and its trimmings hit the right senses that brought my husband and I to another level of gastronomic transcendence. We had some of the leftovers tonight and it gave us the same effect no less. To simply put it, everything was truly delicious! Hands down with my head high above, no ifs or buts!

So, here it is...the recipe you've been yearning for. If you can't wait to make this for next year's St. Patty's Day, might as well do this this weekend. Hurry up! 'Cause let me tell you, you'll never be sorry!

















Ingredients for Slow Roasted Corned Beef:
A Brisket of Corned Beef (packaged located in the frozen meat section of any grocery store or ask the Butcher where to get one. Make sure to get the Point Cut (brisket) of the Corned Beef--it has the most flavor and marbling of fat)
Stone Ground Mustard
Whole Cloves
Brown Sugar
Pure Honey

Directions for Slow Roasted Corned Beef:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Remove the brisket of corned beef from the packaging. Place the brisket in a large pot, fill it up with water and bring it on the stovetop, let it boil on medium high heat. When it boils, discard the water and repeat the boiling process. This time add the seasonings that came with it. Remember, you have to boil the brisket twice in order to reduce the salt content. Once the second boil is done, transfer the brisket fat side up on a baking dish with lined with tin foil loosely. Insert whole cloves one at a time on top of the meat, about an inch or two apart or very sparsely. Don't use too much since cloves can be very powerful. Spread stone ground mustard on top, then lightly dust it off with brown sugar. Place another sheet of tin foil on top, then seal the entire sides off. Then slide it in the oven and let it slow roast for 2 hours.

When the two hours is up, remove brisket on the baking pan from the oven. Slowly remove the top layer of tin foil, let the steam out. Be careful not to burn your fingers from the steam. Let it rest for a few minutes, then drizzle pure honey on top. Set your oven temperature to BROIL. Then place the brisket back in the oven for at least 3-5 minutes, watching it closely so that it wouldn't burn. Take it out from the oven when it's golden brown, lightly crisp on top. Transfer the brisket on a cutting board, let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. Save the juices for the gravy.


Gravy:
Juices or Drippings from the Brisket of Corned Beef
1/2 -1 cup cold water
2 Tbsp Cornstarch


Directions:
Transfer the juices from the brisket by letting it run through a strainer to remove any mustard seeds from the glaze into a small saucepan. In a half cup or 1 cup of cold water, mix cornstarch until completely dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture into the drippings. Let it come to a full boil on medium heat. Stirring constantly until it thickens. Set aside.


Sauteed Cabbage:
1/2 a head of Cabbage, julienned or chopped
1 medium sized Sweet Vidalia Onions, chopped
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot, add onions and let it sweat until translucent. Add garlic. Saute for a little bit. Add half of the cabbage at a time. Mix well until slightly wilted and browned. Then add the last batch of cabbage. Keep sauteing it until nice and soft. Set aside until ready to be served.


Roasted Potatoes and Onions:
1 large Sweet Vidalia Onions, quartered
2 Large Baking Potatoes (Idaho), quartered
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper


Directions:
Toss potatoes and onions together in a tin foil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Then wrap the tin foil completely. Place it on a baking sheet. Bake half way through with the Corned Beef in the oven or for an hour at 350 degrees F. Remove from the oven, uncover when ready to be served.



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