Corned Beef and Cabbage

Irishman George Bernard Shaw said “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing”. Too true. I think this is why kids love Todd Eid. While I was writing this article one little boy ran in to the office and grabbed Todd in a big hug. Todd was chatting with him and the little boy announced he had to poop. Todd told him we have a bathroom, he replied he already went. Todd gave him a high five and said “did you wash your hands like a big boy?” “NOPE” said the boy as he took off to meet his Mom. There was Todd, hand in the air, he looked at me and said “wish I hadn’t asked”! Anyway, the Mom assured Todd he had washed his hands as Todd was on the way to the sink. 

Seems like an inappropriate story for a recipe article but it happened as I was writing this and laughter keeps us young. Back to our regularly scheduled content~

Since St Paddy’s Day is quickly approaching and we have a SuPeR great deal on Corned Beef here’s my recipe. Note I did this on a work day, in between job, laundry, walking dogs and fitting in a workout. Life gets crazy sometimes and this is one of those dishes that brings me comfort. I still remember my Mom cooking this and one of my favorite parts of the dish was the pearl onions. Each layer of onion absorbs a little bit of the juice and holds an incredible amount of flavor. Thankfully Christopher Ranch has these great little packages of pearl onions all ready to go. I talked to Meat Manager Jim Griswold and he told me the brisket is his choice so that’s what I bought. I checked out my old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for cooking times but you absolutely don’t need a recipe for this dish. Easy peasy. I have made this in a crockpot and was not happy with the outcome. To me it seemed all the ingredients lost their identity and tasted just the same. Personal preference.

1 Corned Beef Brisket
3-4 Carrots cut in chunks
5-6 small Potatoes (I used Yukon Gold) quartered
1 package Pearl Onions, skins removed
1 head Cabbage quartered

Dap the excess moisture from the packing liquid off with paper towels and place the Brisket in a large heavy soup pot. Sprinkle enclosed spice packet over meat, cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Add onions, carrots and potatoes, simmer 1/2 hour. Add cabbage, simmer 15-30 minutes or until the cabbage is tender. Knock your socks off delicious!

I served it with some (overly) toasted garlic bread we topped with tomato slices and balsamic glaze. 

Happy St Patricks Day!