March 17th dinner.

Homemade Corned Beef with Vegetables

Here, the traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage is supplemented with turnips, carrots, and boiled potatoes. Serve it with a loaf of freshly baked Irish soda bread.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8.

• FOR THE BRINE

• 2 quarts water

• 1 cup coarse salt

• 1 tablespoon pink curing salt

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

• 1 cinnamon stick, crushed

• 4 dried bay leaves, crushed

• 8 whole cloves

• FOR THE CORNED BEEF

• 5 pounds flat-cut beef brisket

• 1 medium onion, halved

• 1 medium celery stalk, halved

• 1 medium carrot, peeled, halved

• 1 pound baby turnips, peeled, trimmed

• 1 pound baby carrots, peeled, trimmed

• 1 medium head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges

• 1 pound small red potatoes

• Dijon mustard, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the brine: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salts, sugar, and spices; remove from heat, and stir until salts and sugar dissolve. Let cool.

2. Make the corned beef: Place brisket in a nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Pour cooled brine over meat. Place 2 small plates on top to keep meat submerged; cover, and refrigerate for 2 weeks.

3. Rinse brisket; discard brine. Place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add onion, celery, and halved carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

4. Set a steamer in a large saucepan. Add enough water to reach the bottom, and bring to a boil. Add turnips. Reduce heat, cover, and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with baby carrots, steaming 10 to 12 minutes. Add to turnips.

5. Transfer corned beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Discard remaining solids from broth, then bring to a boil. Add cabbage and potatoes, and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Add turnips and carrots, and cook until warmed through. Transfer vegetables to a platter; reserve broth.

6. Trim excess fat from beef. Slice thinly against grain, and transfer to platter. Serve with broth and mustard.

This year I made accordian cut potatoes instead of boiled.

To cook brisket

2 7-oz bottles of beer

10 black peppercorns

6 whole allspice

12 sprigs parsley

3 cloves garlic peeled, sliced

1 onion. peeled and sliced

1 celery stalk

1 carrot

 Rinse brisket; discard brine. Place in a large pot. Add 14 ounces beer and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add onion, celery, and halved carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

  Set a steamer in a large saucepan. Add enough water to reach the bottom, and bring to a boil. Add turnips. Reduce heat, cover, and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with baby carrots, steaming 10 to 12 minutes. Add to turnips.

  Transfer corned beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Discard remaining solids from broth, then bring to a boil.  Add

  Transfer corned beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Discard remaining solids from broth, then bring to a boil.  Add

4-5 carrots, peeled

3-4 parsnips, peeled

3-4 turnips, peeled, sliced

1 head cabbage wedged

Add vegetables and cook 10 minutes or until tender crisp, add cabbage on top and steam 10 minutes.

• or
• Rinse brisket; discard brine. Place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add onion, celery, and halved carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
• Set a steamer in a large saucepan. Add enough water to reach the bottom, and bring to a boil. Add turnips. Reduce heat, cover, and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with baby carrots, steaming 10 to 12 minutes. Add to turnips.
• Transfer corned beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Discard remaining solids from broth, then bring to a boil. Add cabbage and potatoes, and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Add turnips and carrots, and cook until warmed through. Transfer vegetables to a platter; reserve broth.
• Trim excess fat from beef. Slice thinly against grain, and transfer to platter. Serve with broth and mustard.

For the Guiness-mustard sauce

  1/2 cup coarse-grain mustard

  2 Tbs. Guinness or other stout

  2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

  1/2 tsp. light brown sugar

  1 Tbs. finely chopped shallot

Scones with Pears, Irish Cheddar, and Honey

Recipe photo courtesy of Yuki Sugiura

Irish cheddar nicely complements the floral honey and sweet pears that are sandwiched in the scones. Source: Martha Stewart Living, March 2015

prep 20 min, tota 35 min, 8 serv.

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 
  1 tablespoon baking powder
   3/4 teaspoon baking soda
   1/4 cup sugar
   1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
   1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
   1 teaspoon caraway seeds
   1/2 cup currants
   1 cup buttermilk, plus more as needed and for brushing
   Cored and sliced ripe pears, such as Red Anjou, Comice, Red Bartlett, or Seckel, for serving
   Sliced cheddar, preferably Irish, for serving
   Honey, for drizzling 

DIRECTIONS

• 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Add butter to bowl and, working with a few pieces at a time, scoop some butter and flour mixture into your hands. Squeeze butter, pressing thumbs across your fingertips to flatten into petal shapes. Repeat until all butter is flattened and coated with flour mixture. 
• 2. Add caraway seeds and currants to bowl, tossing to combine. Slowly add 1 cup buttermilk, stirring constantly with a fork, just until mixture begins to form clumps. Add more buttermilk if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time, until no dry flour mixture remains in bowl. 
• 3. Transfer mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly dust hands with flour and gather mixture into a ball, gently squeezing to form a dough(it may still crumble slightly).
  Step 4 Flatten dough to a 1-inch thickness and fold in half. Flatten and fold once more. Gently shape into a 1-inch-thick, 7-inch-diameter round. Cut into 8 equal wedges, then separate wedges 1/2 inch apart. Brush tops with buttermilk; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
  Step 5 Bake scones until puffed, golden brown on top, and hollow-sounding when tapped on bottoms, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack. To serve, split scones, sandwich pear and cheddar slices, and drizzle with honey.

Cook's Notes

The dough can be shaped into a disk, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated 1 day ahead. Cut the dough into wedges, brush the tops with buttermilk, and sprinkle with sugar just before baking.