Introduction to St. Patrick's Day Dinner

A kitchen slave learns over time how to use that “time” so that the dinner comes out ON time. Not at the same split second. Rather in an order that allows for the food to be served hot. So let's look at a simple “holiday” dinner. You will see how the parts fit together. That makes everyone happy!

Here is our meal:

Home-cooked Fresh Corned Beef

Traditional Succulent Cabbage

Braised Garden Vegetables

Irish Red Potatoes

Soda Bread

Drinks of choice

Desert:

Homemade Irish Coffee Brownies

slave would fix “green beer” IF my Master ordered it to, otherwise.... If asked, let's say that to reflect Master's good taste, His household decided to leave that to the bars on every corner.

Ever cook a corned beef? Simple and impressive as hell. Just takes preparation and a crock pot! For this a “brisket” is used. Normally a tough and cheap piece of meat, around this time of year the prices soar. To get it tender takes brining, slow cooking and the right spices. The only other secret is to be sure to slice it ACROSS the grain not with the grain of the meat.

The corned beef and cabbage dinner is very similar to the Early American boiled dinner. We are going to make it in the slow cooker and slave has prepared several recipes for using left-overs. May the luck of the Irish be with you for several meals, sandwiches and soups!

Buying the brisket. Supermarkets have made this as easy as possible. It will come wrapped in plastic, filled with the proper brine and even a small packet of spices.

Read the label. You can buy a flat cut – which is a leaner cut of meat. Or a Point Cut – which is what slave recommends. It is more flavor-full. You can cut off the extra fat (called the deckel) AFTER the meat is cooked. Now “eye roasts” and “round roasts” are also prepared the same way but slave finds they are dryer and less tender but they slice neatly.

By the way: the term “corned” has nothing to do with the vegetable we now call “corn” at all. “Corn” was an old English term for a small particle. IE: the coarse-grained salt that was used in curing.

These are the Ingredients you will need:

3 to 4 lbs corned beef brisket – point cut. This will shrink in cooking so figure on about a pound per person.

3 or 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

3 or 4 stalks of celery, cleaned and cut into 2 inches pieces

2 medium onions, peeled and “chunked” into big pieces

1 leek, cut up and use only white and light green parts

at least 2 cups of apple juice not drink

water

1½ lbs baby red potatoes. Scrubbed well and cut in half

1 small head of green cabbage. Cored and roughly chopped

4 slices bacon

4 tablespoons butter or substitute

Irish soda bread from store's bakery. Slave's store makes these in green loaves that are shaped like snakes – cute!

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Start 10 hours before dinner time. So if dinner is planned for 7 PM, everything has to be in the crock pot and the lid on by 9 AM!

So, chop the veggies the night before and seal them in plastic bags in refrigerator. Slave doesn’t trust itself with a sharp Chef's knife before its coffee.

                  Use just the white and light green part of leek.

Now most of the work is done the night before. All slave has to cut up tomorrow is the cabbage, then the meat!

Masters property,

socialslave