- HubPages»
- Food and Cooking»
- World Cuisines»
- Western European Cuisine»
- British Cuisine
Corned Beef and Cabbage
I have no idea how many millions of households across America serve up corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day, but the one I grew up in was one. My mom is a phenomenal cook, but I have to say this dish nearly broke me. For years I swore I hated cabbage, mainly because of the hideous sulfur smells emitted by cabbage when it cooks very long. I think the fires of Hell smell like the corned beef and cabbage I grew up with.
When I finally had my own kitchen to destroy, instead of my poor mother's, it took me a while to attempt cabbage in any form. When I did, I was delighted. It was crunchy! It popped with flavor! It was really yummy! Because I didn't know any better (which is how I learned much of my cooking) I barely cooked it at all like - a stir fry. After that it was on. I made cabbage all the time in all kinds of dishes.
I did not, however, do corned beef and cabbage. St. Patrick's Day would roll around, and I would try any and all Irish dishes I could find - Irish Soda Bread, Colcannon, Barmbrack, Dublin Lawyer - just so I wouldn't have to.
Then I realized that I loved cabbage, and I loved corned beef. What was my issue? I thought I could fix the issues I had growing up - I was a big girl. Time to move on.
No more colorless, blah flavored, sulfurous Hellfires-smelling food. Let's make it pretty - popping with color and intense flavor both. Let's use good corned beef, and throw in some unexpected zip and tang. No - it's not the Corned Beef and Cabbage you think of as traditional, but it's not even Irish - it's an Irish American adaptation. Which means we can do whatever we want to with it. So let's do this thing.
The Recipe!
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 red onion, sliced very thinly
1 red bell pepper, sliced very thinly
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups corned beef, thinly sliced
- Heat oil in large skillet (I used a wok). Add cabbages, onion and pepper. Saute for about three to four minutes or until vegetables become fragrant.
- Add salt, pepper, vinegar and mustard. Continue to cook for a few minutes more, or just until vegetables being barely to wilt.
- Add corned beef, stirring it in. Allow it to come to temperature and serve immediately.
Visit the Websites!
- Irish Recipes
A fabulous collection of Irish Recipes and their Irish American cousins. From Barmbrack and Colcannon to Irish Soda Bread, it's all here and it's all delicious! - The Thrillbilly Gourmet
Combining classic technique with everyday food for spectacular results - eat REAL food!