Corned Beef and Cabbage
Source of Recipe
Jo Gainey
Recipe Introduction
We have two ways we make corned beef and cabbage in our
house, same recipe, but they come out slightly different
because the one uses canned corned beef and the other fresh.
List of Ingredients
2 small to medium heads of cabbage (should be heavy for
their size)
3 Tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1-1/2 to 2 lbs corned beef precooked, sliced (or 2 cans of
corned beef, just as it comes from the can)
Recipe
Pull off any outside leaves of the cabbage that are dried or
wilted and cut the heads into quarters cutting through the
stem (core) Remove the cores. If you are using fresh corned
beef leave the cabbage quarters intact, if using canned
corned beef, cut the cabbage quarters into chunks about the
size of two fingers.
Place all ingredients except corned beef into a large pot
that has a tightly fitted lid. Cover and bring to a boil and
steam until the cabbage is wilted and the smaller leaves are
tender. (about 20 minutes) Stir. (If the cabbage is still in
quarters, don't stir, just turn the quarters over.)
Add the corned beef and resume cooking (covered)for about 10
to 15 minutes until the cabbage is tender.
If using fresh corned beef, remove it and put it on a plate
for serving. (The canned corned beef will be all through the
pot of food, and will not be separable.) Serves 6 hungry
people or 8 less hungry ones.
We used to serve this with corn bread and buttermilk or
fresh milk, now we have to think of something else. Perhaps
sweet potatoes and milk will go well. It will be worth it
because it is delicious and is wonderfully nourishing.
Notice that there is no baking soda, added fat or sugars,
and there is a small amount of salt. The cabbage will
"absorb" salt and fat and the corned beef will "give" them.
It all balances out. Baking soda, in effect, trades a bunch
of
vitamins for a greener color that means nothing except
color. It will give you the restaurant version of tasteless
beautiful looking corned beef and cabbage. This recipe has
been handed down in my (partly) Irish-heritage family for
generations.
This recipe produces only about 1 to 2 cups of juice. If you
like yours more soupy, you may need to add another cup or
two of water. More water will take a little more salt and
vinegar and might reduce the cabbage-y flavor somewhat.
If you buy uncooked corned beef, rinse it off and put it
into a crock pot to on medium to cook all day (8 hours or
more) while you do something else. Remove from the crock
pot and slice it. Then follow the recipe for corned beef
and cabbage. Use any juice from the meat in the cabbage
cooking.
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