Monday, March 19, 2012

Irish Feasting, Day 3

Today was our Corned Beef and Cabbage day.  Overall, it turned out well, although I think the smoked salmon quiche is my favorite so far.  There isn't really a recipe, per se, but here is a method that worked out well.

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots
1 Large Corned Beef Brisket
16-20 Baby Carrots
1 Small Cabbage
2-3 Bottles of Guinness Draft
6-8 Red potatoes (depending on size)
3 Bay leaves
Guilden's Spicy Brown Mustard
Butter
Salt and Pepper

Put the brisket in your crock pot on LOW about 10 hours before you plan to serve your dinner.  Periodically, check the meat to insure it's at least 75% covered in liquid.

About 1 hour before dinner, peel your potatoes and cut them into quarters.  Check the baby carrots for any imperfections, wash them well and pat them dry.  Cut your cabbage into quarters, then halve the quarters.  Bring a broth of 1-1.5 bottles of Guinness, 2 cups of water and the bay leaves to a boil in a large pan, then put the potatoes and carrots in.   While your vegetables are boiling, remove the meat from the crock pot and let it rest on the cutting board.  Let the veggies boil well for about 20-30 minutes, until they are beginning to become fork tender, but be careful not to let them get mushy.  Then add your cabbage and boil for about 10-15 minutes more.  When the cabbage is soft, but still has a snap to it, remove it from the liquid,
drain carefully and put it in your serving bowl.  Allow the potatoes and carrots to boil about 5-7 minutes longer, then drain them well and add them to the serving bowl.  Be careful not to serve the bay leaves in the cabbage--they will make you sick if you accidentally eat them.

Serve the meal with butter, salt and pepper and spicy mustard.  I also recommend serving an artisanal bread if you have one available, such as French bread, soda bread or another option of your choosing.

Until the next meal!!!

Irish Feasting, Day 2

Day 2 of the Irish feast was not so tasty....mushroom potage (a kind of soup from Tipperary) prepared according to the recipe did NOT play to rave reviews from anyone in the family, so I won't be posting that recipe to my blog. I'm not sure I'll even attempt to make the recipe again, even with alterations to suit the family taste buds more.

Making corned beef and cabbage today for Feast dinner, day 3...can't go wrong with that!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Irish Feasting, Day 1

One tradition in my family is having a nice meal for St. Patrick's Day.  Since moving out of my parents' house, I've taken that tradition a bit further, and I make nice meals for the week of St. Patrick's!

We took my daughter to Salt Lake City for her first train ride as well as her first St. Patrick's day parade and party.  She was more impressed with eating at the Gateway food court and riding the train, than the St. Patrick's day festivities, but hopefully that will change in time!

Here's the recipe for Day 1 of my Family's Irish Feast:

Smoked Salmon Quiche
2       9-inch Deep Dish Pie Crusts (you can make them from scratch if you wish)
1       Cup Grated Sharp Cheddar
1       Cup Grated Swiss Cheese
1       Cup Grated Colby Jack Cheese
1       Cup GratedDubliner Cheese
1       Cup Grated Kerrygold Reduced Fat Irish Cheddar
5       Eggs
1.5    Cups of Skim or 1% Milk
1       Cup Freshly Chopped Spinach
1        6 oz package of Smoked Sockeye Salmon
         (I like the "Seabear" brand sold by Made In Washington Stores)

Combine all the cheeses in a large bowl, then add the milk.  Combine eggs together with a fork (as if you were making scrambled eggs), then add to the cheese/milk mixture.  Put the smoked salmon patty on a cutting board and separate it into fine pieces with a fork.  When your salmon pieces are flaked into VERY small pieces, add the salmon to the cheese, milk, egg mixture.  Finally add the spinach and mix all ingredients well.
Spoon the mixture into the two piecrusts, evenly distributing the mix between the two.

Bake the quiches at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Let cool approximately 15-20 minutes before eating.  Do not eat immediately after baking or the quiches will be runny and not taste as good.

Companion drink suggestions:
Always drink and eat with a companion!  Even if they don't like what you've made...it's much more fun to do it with someone!!!


Oh wait....companions to the QUICHE drink suggestions is what you were looking for here, right???

A nicely chilled white wine (not too sweet, but not too dry) or a Guinness draft go well with this meal.  Or if you would like to have a non-alcoholic option, I recommend mineral water (Pelligrino is quite nice) or an iced black tea such as Earl Grey.

Thus ends day one of my Irish Feast!  Slainte!  (That's "Cheers" in Gaelic!)