What's for dinner?
from Helene's Kitchen
|
 St. Patrick's Day Favorite Recipes
St. Patrick's Day Irish Delights!
Emerald Salad
Shamrock Rolls
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Lamb Stew
St. Patrick's Day Emerald Salad
Ingredients
1 1 lb. can sliced peaches with syrup
2 3 oz. pkgs. lime gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 red maraschino cherry
1 cup halved and seeded fresh grapes
or 1 8 oz. can grapes, drained
Directions
Drain peaches, save syrup. Add enough warm water to syrup to make 1 cup. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add cold water and the peach syrup. Chill until jelly-like. Place one cup of gelatin mixture into 6 cup salad mold. Place 12 peach slices on top of the gelatin, forming a sunburst. Place cherry in center. dice remain peaches. Add peaches and grapes to remaining gelatin. Pour into mold. Chill until firm. Unmold onto chilled serving plate.
|
Shamrock Rolls
Ingredients
Basic bread dough or frozen bread dough, thawed
Directions
Grease muffin pan. Make small balls out of dough. Place three balls in each muffin
tin. Brush each with melted butter. Let rise until reach top of muffing tin.
Bake at 375 degree for 18 minutes.
St. Patrick's Day Irish Favorite Dish!
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Ingredients
Corned Beef Brisket
4 potatoes
3 carrots
1 medium cabbage
Directions
Wash brisket under water. Place in pan cover with water bring to a boil
Turn heat down. Add peeled potatoes and carrots cut in hunks. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. About 20 minutes before the corned beef is done, wash cabbage, cut in wedges and add, cook uncovered.
Irish Lamb Stew
Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs. Lamb Stew Meat cut in 1/12/ inch cubes
1 onion pealed and sliced
1 lbs. carrots (optional)
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
pepper to taste
2 cups water
Directions
Place 1/2 of lamb in bottom of dutch oven. Place 1/2 of onions, and carrots on top. Then make another layer with remaining lamb, onion and carrots. Top with parsley, thyme and pepper. Pour water over stew, water should cover. Put lid on dutch oven and place over medium heat. Heat to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for one hour or until lamb is tender. Check from time to time to make sure water does not all evaporate. Add no more than 1/4 cup water. Stew should be quite thick.
|
Why Eat Corned Beef on St. Patrick's Day?
Originally "Corned Beef and Cabbage" was a
traditional dish served for Easter Sunday dinner in rural
Ireland. The beef, which was salted or brined during the winter
to preserve it, could then be eaten after the long, meatless
Lenten fast.
Since the advent of refrigeration, the trend in Ireland is to
eat fresh meats. Today this peasant dish is more popular in the
United States than in Ireland. Irish-Americans and lots of other
people eat it on St. Patrick's Day, Ireland's principal feast
day, as a nostalgic reminder of their Irish heritage.
Corning is a form of curing; it has nothing to do with corn.
The name comes from Anglo-Saxon times before refrigeration. In
those days, the meat was dry-cured in coarse "corns" of
salt. Pellets of salt, some the size of kernels of corn, were
rubbed into the beef to keep it from spoiling and to preserve it.
Today brining -- the use of salt water -- has replaced the dry
salt cure, but the name "corned beef" is still used,
rather than "brined" or "pickled" beef.
Commonly used spices that give corned beef its distinctive flavor
are peppercorns and bay leaf. Of course, these spices may vary
regionally.
Package Dating and Storage Times
Uncooked corned beef in a pouch with pickling juices which has
a "sell-by" date or no date may be stored 5 to 7
days in the refrigerator, unopened. Products with a "use-by"
date can be stored unopened in the refrigerator until that date.
Drained and well wrapped, an uncooked corned beef brisket may
be frozen for one month for best quality. The flavor and texture
will diminish with prolonged freezing but the product is still
safe. After cooking, corned beef may be refrigerated for about 3
to 4 days and frozen for about 2 to 3 months.
Preparation
Corned beef is made from one of several less-tender cuts of
beef like the brisket, rump or round. Therefore, it requires
long, moist cooking. Keep food safety in mind when preparing the
corned beef. It can be cooked on top of the stove or in the oven,
microwave or slow cooker (see information below).
"Fork-tender" is a good indication of doneness, but
use a meat thermometer to be sure. Cook until the internal
temperature has reached at least 160 degrees F.
Corned beef may still be pink in color after cooking. This
does not mean it is not done. Nitrite is used in the curing
process. This fixes pigment in the meat and affects the color.
Allow the brisket to stand for about ten minutes after
removing from the heat. This will make it easier to slice, and it
is best sliced diagonally across the grain of the meat.
Cooking Times
The USDA does not recommend one particular cooking method as
best. Following are methods from various sources. The cooking
times are based on corned beef that is not frozen at the time of
cooking. Whichever method you choose, be sure the beef reaches
an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F to ensure it is
safely cooked.
- OVEN: Set the oven for 350 degrees F or no lower
than 325 degrees F. Place brisket fat-side up. Barely
cover the meat with water -- about one inch -- and keep
the container covered throughout the cooking time. Allow
about one hour per pound.
- STOVE TOP: Place brisket fat-side up in a large
pot and cover it with water. Bring the water to a boil;
then reduce the heat and simmer, allowing about one hour
per pound. Vegetables may be added during the last 20 to
30 minutes of cooking. Cook to desired tenderness.
- SLOW COOKER: If using root vegetables, put them in
the bottom of slow cooker. Cut brisket into pieces of
like size to ensure thorough cooking. Place brisket on
top of vegetables (if using) or in bottom of cooker. Add
about 1-1/2 cups of water or enough to cover meat. Cover
and cook on high setting for the first hour of cooking.
Then cook for 10 to 12 hours on the low setting or 5 to 6
hours on high. Cabbage wedges may be added on top of the
brisket during the last three hours of cooking.
- MICROWAVE: Calculate cooking time at 20 to 30
minutes per pound. Place brisket in a large casserole
dish and add 1-1/2 cups of water. Cover with lid or
vented plastic wrap and microwave on medium-low (30
percent power) for half the estimated time. Turn meat
over and rotate dish. Microwave on high for remainder of
time or until fork tender. Vegetables may be added during
the final 30 minutes of cooking.
Cooking Ahead
Some consumers prefer to cook corned beef ahead of time. It is
easier to cut uniform slices when corned beef is cold. Cooking
ahead also makes it easier to reheat and serve later.
After cooking a whole corned beef, cut it into several pieces
for faster cooling -- or slice it, if you like. Place the beef in
small, shallow containers and cool it in the refrigerator
quickly.
Leftovers
Any corned beef left over from a meal should be refrigerated
promptly -- within two hours of cooking or reheating. Use
cooked-ahead or leftover corned beef within 3 to 4 days or freeze
up to 2 months.
|