Serves 4 to 6

If you think you are being just oh, so terribly Irish by serving Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s’ Day, think again.  Sure, they eat corned beef and cabbage in Ireland, but it is far from being the national dish.  Corned Beef and Cabbage is very much like "New England Boiled Dinner." In Ireland you are far more likely to find a roasted chicken or poached salmon on the table for a special occasion than corned beef and cabbage. 

The tradition in America is the result of the Irish pub owners in Boston and New York.  Many Irish immigrants in those communities owned, managed or worked in pubs.  To stimulate business a free lunch was often served.  At that time, corned brisket of beef was one of the cheapest cuts of meat available.  Add cabbage and potatoes to stretch it out and you had a tasty meal for very little money.  AND, there was the added benefit that being quite salty it made the customers thirsty which of course sold more beer.

Corned beef in not a very healthy dish.  The corning process renders the meat extremely salty, in addition to chemicals that are not exactly on the list of best things to put into your body.  A way to render the meat more healthy is to put it into a large pot of cold water, bring it to a boil, pour off that water, do it again, and then continue to cook the meat.  You don’t need all that salt and Sodium_Nitrite.  Incidentally, although the recipe below suggests that you begin with about 3 pounds of corned beef, I always buy as big a piece as I can get because my family would most likely shoot me if there wasn’t enough left over for sandwiches for several days.

About 3 pounds of corned beef brisket

1 or 2 bay leaves

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

4 to 6 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon mixed dry herbs – (Italian Seasoning)

2 or 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks – (or equivalent in baby carrots)

About 2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size chunks – (no need to cut if using small new potatoes)

About 12 small boiling onions

About 12 small mushrooms

1 medium size head of cabbage – cut into quarters and the core removed

Rinse the corned beef under cold running water, place in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then pour off that water, add fresh water and bring to the boil again.  Pour off this water and again fill the pot with fresh cold water.  Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf and herbs, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a tight fitting lid and continue to cook until the meat is tender. 

When the meat is tender, add the vegetables and increase the heat to maintain a rapid simmer and cook until the vegetables have reached the desired degree of doneness.  Remove the meat to a serving plate and arrange the vegetables around it.  Keep warm.  Remove 2 to 3 cups of the cooking liquid to a sauce pan.  Over a high heat, whisking to prevent scorching, cook the liquid until it has reduced by about one third it’s original volume.  Whisk in Sweet_and_Hot_Brown_Mustard to taste, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve along with the meat and vegetables. 

This makes an excellent hearty country meal, particularly when accompanied by Irish Soda Bread.