Friday, March 16, 2007

Secret Ingredient Corned Beef and Cabbage

2 medium onions sliced
2-3 lbs corned beef brisket
1 cup apple juice (the secret ingredient!)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp orange peel finely shredded
2 tsp prepared mustard
6 whole cloves
6 cabbage wedges

Place onions in crockpot. Trim away any fat that might be present on the brisket. If needed, cut brisket to fit into crockpot;place on top of onions. In a bowl, combine apple juice, sugar, orange peel, mustard, and cloves; pour over brisket. Put cabbage wedges on top. Cover; cook on low setting for 10-12 hours or high setting 5-6 hours. Keep the lid on to reduce odors and burn scented candles!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! When my girls were little, I placed a path of cut-out shamrocks from the bedrooms to the kitchen. When they awoke, they would follow the path to discover that the "leprechaun" had turned the kitchen chairs and table upside down. Even the table was set all mixed up with oversize spoons and forks. There was a note from the leprechaun that had to be read in a mirror. Their Dad contributed to the festivities by making green shamrock pancakes.

I don't think I cooked corned beef more than a few times and then I just threw everything (meat,potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage) into a pot and boiled the devil out of it. I found this much tastier version and prepared root veggies all separate so they really stood out. Our honey-glazed carrots with nutmeg go very well.

Try root veggies this way.
peeled parsnips, rutabaga, turnips (cut into different shapes so you can tell them apart)
mini-potatoes (red and white if you want)
mini-onions (red and white if you want)
parboil everything for 5 minutes (onion skins will remove easily)
Drain and toss into a roasting pan with olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary.
Roast at 375 until brown.

Erin Go Braugh!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

sounds good, please recommend a cut of meat as I am hopelessly clueless about such...

Unknown said...

by the way, thanks for crockpot campaign contribution!

Mama Sarita said...

wow, that sounds waaaay better than my st. patty's disaster. I had a point cut and it had nearly no meat on it. Mmmm gristle.