St Patty's Day Feasts

I had two big corned beef and cabbage celebrations this year. The first was for our Dinner Diva's theme at Janet's house and the second was our annual celebration at Mom's. We were supposed to meet in February and do a Valentine's Day theme but inclement wether had other plans for us so we pushed it out to March instead. Since a Valentine's Day theme no longer made sense we decided to do St. Patrick's Day food in its place.

This was Janet's first time making (and I think also having) corned beef and cabbage. I have to say she did an incredible job! It was absolutely delicious, so good in fact I told my mom she needs to use this recipe for going forward for the corned beef we make on the stove. It simmered for 6 hours in Guinness and beef broth and it gave it such flavor. She also chopped and sauteed the cabbage with onions which I loved as well!

For the rest of our St. Patty's day dinner, I brought a Guinness and Cheddar dip for the appetizer. I had thought about bringing like a hot ruben dip, which did look really good, but since we were having more corned beef for dinner, I opted against it. The next best thing I could come up with was a Guinness dip. It was tasty, I don't know that I would rush out to go make it again, but it was festive and worked for the occasion. Finally for dessert Michele brought a potato cake. Have you ever heard of potato in a cake before? Well I certainly hadn't! I was expecting something savory versus sweet, but turns out you mash the potato finely into grounds and use it almost as flour. It actually tasted very good and you never would have known it was made from potatoes in a cake!

If you ever find yourself in need of a corned beef & cabbage recipe, I highly recommend the one Janet used. I know we'll be using this one next year when Mom makes it!

Corned Beef & Cabbage by Melissa D'Arabian 
Source: Food Network

5 pounds corned beef
5 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
10 peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
12 ounces stout (recommended: Guinness)
1 cup beef broth or stock
Water, for simmering
4 yellow onions, cut into wedges, plus 1 medium yellow or sweet onion, sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
6 medium red potatoes, scrubbed
1 medium head green cabbage, cut into quarters, core removed
4 tablespoons butter

Rinse the corned beef and put it into a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot. Make a bouquet garni with the garlic, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves and add to the pot. Stir in the stout, stock and enough water to cover the beef by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 hours, covered, stirring occasionally.

After 4 hours, add the onion wedges, parsnips, and carrots, and cook for a 1/2 hour. Add the potatoes and the cabbage wedges and continue cooking until the cabbage is tender, but not limp, about 20 minutes. Remove the cabbage to a plate and allow the corned beef and other vegetables to continue cooking until the meat is tender.

In a separate large saute pan, heat 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, and a pinch of salt and saute until tender and beginning to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the cabbage thinly, gently pressing with a paper towel to remove excess water. Add the cabbage to the onion mixture and toss to coat well with the butter. Cook over medium heat until the cabbage begins to brown.

Remove the meat to a cutting board and slice. Serve at the table with all the vegetables piled onto a serving tray and the sliced meat onto another tray with some of the broth poured over the meat.