St. Patricks Day Eats

With St. Patrick’s Day fast approaching I am already thinking about one of my favorite meals, corned beef and cabbage. Did you know that this dish did not actually come from Ireland? Cabbage was always a staple for Irish-Americans, however when the Irish came to America, they needed to find a product that was similar in texture and flavor to the traditional Irish bacon. In the late 1800’s immigrants living in New York City found a great alternative, corned beef. They also found that it was less expensive then bacon.

Here’s my take on this Irish-American dish. I like to add a little bit more volume to my recipe with the addition of potatoes, onions and carrots.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredient List

1 5-6 pound corned beef most will come with a seasoning packet.

2 medium onions, quartered

6 potatoes, peeled and chopped

6 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium head of cabbage, quartered, core removed

2-3 packets of beef bouillon

Preparation:

Place meat into an 8 quart stock pot. Cover meat with water and add seasoning packet, beef bouillon and onion. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for about an hour and a half, then add cabbage and desired vegetables. Cook for about another 45 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove to shallow dish to serve. This meal tastes great topped with yellow mustad.

A great way to use the leftover corned beef is too make Reuben sandwiches. Slice leftover meat, and place on rye bread with Thousand Island dressing, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese, cook as you would a grilled cheese sandwich.

For dessert Guinness Stout Brownies make a great treat. It may sound odd to have beer in brownies but the malt in the beer really brings out the chocolate flavor. You won’t even taste the beer. The amount of eggs used makes this decadent treat surprisingly light.

Guinness Stout Brownies

Ingredient List

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes

8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped

¾ cup white chocolate chips

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 and ¼ cup (10 ounces) Guinness Extra Stout Beer, see note below

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate, and white chocolate chips in a double-boiler over very low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined.
Beat reserved flour mixture into melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in Guinness stout beer. The batter will seem a bit thin. Drop semisweet chocolate chips evenly on top of batter (some will sink in).
Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes on center rack in the oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
Let brownies cool, uncovered, to room temperature. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
Note: The Guinness should be at room temperature. This recipe uses a little less than a standard 12-ounce bottle of Guinness stout beer. Do not include foam in the measurement. Either spoon off the foam or let it rest until the foam subsides.
Yield: 36 to 48 brownies, depending on cut size.