Author: Dackel Princess

Corned Beef & Cabbage

I tried a new recipe for cooking corned beef and cabbage this year. I did this after cooking this last year and having my corned beef come out like shoe leather! I’ve been watching many cooking shows on HGTV and I have been learning a lot about how to cook tough cuts of beef. So, here is what I did, and in the end, it came out so very well!

Ingredients:

1. 2-5 pounds corned beef
2. 5 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
3. 10 peppercorns smashed
4. 4 sprigs fresh thyme
5. 2 bay leaves
6. 12 ounces good beer
7. 1 carton of beef broth or stock
8. (Water, if needed for simmering)
9. 4 yellow onions, cut into wedges, plus 1 large yellow or sweet onion, sliced
10. 6 – 8 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
11. 4 stalks celery cut into large chunks
12. 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
13. 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1 inch slices, core removed
14. 4 tablespoons butter
15. 1 tsp salt

Directions

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 beer, beef stock and enough water to cover the beef by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then place in pre-heated 300 degree F oven for 3 hours and 30 minutes.

After 3 hours and 30 minutes, add the onion wedges, celery, carrots, and the potatoes and cook for 1 hour. Then add the cabbage 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. Don’t be afraid you will overcook the corned beef. Cooking it slowly in a low oven will make this so tender. If the meat is tough, you did not cook it long enough!

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 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the cabbage 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 with spicy mustard, 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.

My total cooking time was five and a half hours. I used my cast iron Dutch Oven, and a low oven. Basically you get all the ingredients in and then let then Dutch Oven do all the work!

I pulled out a turkey from our deep freeze. It was 15 pounds, and made a lovely first meal. But I wasn’t looking forward to continuous turkey soup meals, so I started looking around at things to make with ALL THAT TURKEY! Here is the recipe I adapted for tonight’s dinner. I felt like I was on my own cooking show, as I chopped and measured and stirred, but the end result was actually quite delicious! Try it! Good luck!

Turkey Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

1. 1- pound Egg noodles
2. 4 Tablespoons Butter
3. 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
4. 1/2 onion diced
5. 1/2 cup green pepper diced
6. 1/2 cup red pepper diced
7. 1 pound White Mushrooms, Quartered
8. 1/2 teaspoon Salt
9. 1 cup White Wine (I used White Zinfandel)
10. 1/3 cup Flour
11. 4 cups Turkey (or Chicken) Broth
12. 1 block 8 Ounce Cream Cheese (I was skeptical, but this made a nice creamy sauce)
13. 4 cups Cooked (leftover) Turkey, Shredded Or Diced
14. 1 cup Finely Chopped Black Olives
15. 1-1/2 cup Frozen Green Peas
16. 1/2 cup chopped up broccoli (only because I had some left over!)
17. 4 slices Bacon, Fried And Cut Into Bits
18. 1 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
19. 1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
20. 1/2-1 cup light cream
21. Salt And Pepper, to taste
22. Extra Broth For Thinning
23. 1 cup Smashed barbecue chips (or Panko Bread Crumbs)

Preparation:
Cook pasta until not quite done Drain, rinse, and set aside.

Cook bacon until crisp. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, peppers and saute for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and salt, then saute for a couple more minutes. Pour in the wine and allow it to cook with the mushrooms and onion and peppers for several minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.

Sprinkle in flour, then stir the mushrooms around for another minute. Pour in the broth and stir, cooking for another few minutes until the roux thickens.

Reduce heat to medium low. Cut cream cheese into cubes and add it to the pot. Stir it to melt (don’t worry if the cream cheese remains in little bits for awhile) Add the leftover turkey, the olives, the peas, the chopped up bacon, and the cheeses. Stir to combine, adding salt and pepper as needed. Add the cream.

Add the cooked Pasta and stir it to combine. Splash in more broth as needed; you want the mixture to have a little extra moisture since it will cook off in the oven. If it’s a little soupy, that’s fine.

Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with the Chips or Panko crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.