corned beef + cabbage

This was my first time cooking and eating this traditional Irish dish. You'd think growing up in a house where there are "bless this Irish home" plaques and knickknacks with shamrocks strewn about, I would have experienced this dish a time or two but no.

My dad doesn't care for corned beef, my mom doesn't like cabbage, and my brother referred to it as peasant food. (What??) Thankfully Charlie likes it and has eaten before so he was a good judge and my dinner date when he got done work. He gave it two thumbs up so I was pleased. I enjoyed it myself too. One thing I learned though.. I need a bigger pot. I halved this recipe and it still barely fit in the largest pot. I think I just need to start collecting kitchen supplies to take with me when I move out.

So take your largest pot and place your corned beef brisket at the bottom. Put your cut carrots and onions on top.


Tie a bundle of fresh thyme and parsley and place them in the pot.


So for some reason I have become a foodie snob within my first year of really cooking.. like beyond kraft mac n cheese cooking.. and I assumed that when I walked into the market at 9pm after my class they would surely have everything I needed. There was no way other people needed the fresh herbs I needed. Now I know parsley is a popular herb but my new found food snobbery convinced me that I'd be the only one looking for the fresh stuff. I pouted so hard when there was a big empty space where the parsley should be. Taken down a peg, I got resourceful and am quite proud of my little solution! ;)

I decided I was going to compensate with dried parsley and since I don't have any sort of cheese cloth or anything, I got inventive. I cut a slit in the top of the bag from my morning Tazo tea and soaked it until it lost any tea scent. I dried it and filled it with the parsley and tied it off with some baker's twine. It worked like a charm. If you've never had it, Tazo teabags are made out of a sort of mesh fabric instead of paper so it was totally reusable.

Ta-da!


When I was done patting myself on the back, I tossed it in.


Add some dried mustard and fill the pot with water so that everything is covered by a couple inches of water. This is where I really realized I need to get a bigger pot.


Bring the pot to a boil and then simmer it covered for two hours. Add the cabbage in and simmer for another hour. (**Note: this is for one 3 pound brisket.)

Take out the vegetables and plate the carrots and cabbage. Trim any fat off the meat. It should just come right off, it's glorious. Cut the meat against the grain. Enjoy!



Corned Beef + Cabbage
slightly adapted from The Parsley Thief

1 3lb corned beef brisket
6 carrots
1 large onion
a bundle of fresh parsley and thyme
1 tsp dry mustard
2 small heads of cabbage

Put brisket in a large soup pot. Peel and chop carrots and place them in the pot. Peel and quarter onions and place them in as well. Add a bundle of fresh parsley and thyme. Put in a tsp of dry mustard. Fill the pot with water so that everything is covered by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer covered for two hours. Remove outer leaves of cabbage and quarter it. Place it in the pot and cook for another hour.
Scoop out carrots and cabbage and place on a serving dish. Trim any fat from the meat and cut it against the grain. Discard everything else in the pot.

Delicious. I will definitely be making this again. Pretty sure I'm going to make a corned beef sandwich for lunch. :)

I can't believe tomorrow is Friday! Where are these weeks going?