The Luck Of The Irish

The luck of the Irish…yes, that must be it. I have been so lucky and rewarded with awards by so many of my fellow bloggers. It is like I have discovered the “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow”.

I was awarded the Red Education Shoe Award by Linda at Savoring Every Bite while I was on a road trip to Florida.  Linda and I have a lot in common. She lives in south Florida where my husband and I lived for years and we love a lot of the same restaurants in the area. Linda has a wonderful blog and will give you inspiration for cooking Italian dishes and so much more. Wait until you bake one of her biscotti cookie recipes. You will be so happy if you stop by her delicious site.

I was also awarded not one… but four awards by Eva at Kitchen Inspirations. Eva has a blog where she invites you into her Craftsman style kitchen where she cooks fast and easy food. But she isn’t intimidated by a more complicated recipe. Please stop by her blog and enjoy. Eva was so gracious to give me the Stylish Blogger, Kreativ Blogger, Sunshine Award and the Irresistibly Sweet Blogger Award. Thank you Eva, four times over.

I look forward to passing these awards onto fellow bloggers in the future. But in the meantime, I have decided to give you a little of my Irish luck. I believe in eating black eyed peas on new years day for good luck  and I also eat corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day. Call me silly if you want, but a girl can always hope she is lucky enough to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I still believe in the “luck of the Irish”.

Since I was given an award, I’ll give back with my recipe for corned beef and cabbage, served alongside colcannon. I hope you have the “luck of the Irish” because on St. Patrick’s Day…everyone is a little bit Irish.

Beer Braised Corned Beef, Cabbage And Colcannon

Beer Braised Corned Beef And Cabbage

• 3 lb. corned beef
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 bottle of your favorite dark beer
• 1 carrot, cut in chunks
• 4 or more garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp. pickling spices
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
• 10 juniper berries
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Additional ingredients to add later in the braising can be to your liking. I like

• 1 head of cabbage cut into quarters, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions

*    An important note I would like to make is that corned beef can be very salty. To avoid having the corned beef end up too salty, I would suggest taking the meat out of its packaging, washing it well, and then soaking the meat for a minimum of an hour and up to 24 hours, changing the water several times if possible.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

After soaking the corned beef in water, dry throughly and then season with pepper on both sides. Put in a hot skillet, fat side down, and sear until brown. Turn and sear on the other side until browned and then set aside.

Add the onions to the skillet (add a little oil if necessary), and sauté until translucent. Place the onions in a large roasting pan and top with the corned beef, fat side up.

Deglaze the skillet with the beef broth, scraping up the browned bits. Add the beer, spices, garlic and vinegar. Pour over the brisket. Cover with foil and place in the oven and bake for approximately four hours, basting occasionally, until tender.

Add the additional vegetables to the broth, return to the oven and cook until vegetables are cooked through to your liking.

I don’t know why but I find that corned beef takes a little longer to cook than regular braised brisket when cooked in the same way. Give yourself a little extra time just to be sure that the corned beef is tender before plating.

Colcannon

This not a recipe but my interpretation of a classic Irish dish. Add to it as you wish. One thing I know is that you will enjoy it no matter how it is prepared as we all seem to really love potatoes.

Take one wedge of your cooked cabbage (see above) and chop. Place a little butter in a hot skillet, add the cabbage and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add some green onion, and sauté for a minute. Remove and set aside. Boil cubed potatoes until tender. Drain, add butter, cream, salt and pepper. Mash until desired consistency, add reserved cabbage and mix. When serving, make a well in the center and add a nice pat of butter.

This is not a fancy or pretty plate of food as it tends to be varying shades of brown. But…if you look at this meal as I do, you will be thinking of the lush green fields of Ireland, maybe with a four leaf clover or two to bring you good luck.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day