CookWomanFood.com » St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef and Cabbage

admin — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:32:48 +0000

One thing that is great about the spring is that corned beef is readily available in markets and at a decent price. There are a lot of other great things about spring such as staying lighter later, more warmth, and getting closer to the end of the school year which in itself is a reason to celebrate. I was the good wife yesterday and prepared my husband’s favorite dish: corned beef and cabbage. It is such an easy dish to prepare. The corned beef that I purchased was a flat cut brisket. It did not have an included spice pack. Here’s what I did to make my husband’s day!

New England Corned Beef Dinner

1 flat cut corned beef
1 large chopped onion
4 stalks celery
mustard seed
peppercorns
pepper
4 potatoes
6 carrots
1 small head of cabbage
1 small turnip

Place the meat, fat side down in a dutch oven. Cover with water. Add 1 tbsp. mustard seed, 1 tsp. peppercorns, the onion, celery, and some freshly ground pepper. Cover and simmer 2-3 hours until the meat is tender. About an hour before dinner is to be served, peel and rinse the vegetables and boil. I cooked mine in a separate pan to avoid the added grease from the meat. I removed the cabbage and added it to the corned beef pan to continue cooking a little longer. The vegetables can be added to the corned beef and cooked with it for added flavor.

Irish Soda Bread-Traditional or Not-What’s in Your Oven?

admin — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:26:54 +0000

I decided to make some Irish soda bread this weekend and searched the internet for a great recipe and to see it there is one out there that is better than mine, or should I say more interesting than mine. Lo and behold I came across a wealth of information on the history of the Irish soda bread. What I thought was Irish soda bread is not and the history behind it makes complete sense.The Irish soda bread recipes that are found on the internet when searched for are called Spotted Dog or Railway Cake. If it contains eggs, baking powder, sugar, shortening, or raisins it is actually a cake and not a bread. Hmph. Those recipes are delicious but not the traditional Irish soda bread. (Soda would be the giveaway here). Basic traditional soda bread is made with flour, baking soda, salt, and soured milk or buttermilk. Soda is used as the leavening agent. So, if you want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the traditional Irish Soda Bread use this recipe:

White Soda Bread-Traditional Irish Soda Bread

4 cups of all purpose or cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
14 oz. sour milk or buttermilk

1. Grease and flour a cast iron pan. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the milk and knead lightly.
3.Shape the dough into a ball, cut an X on the top and place in the pan.
4. Cover the pan with another pan and bake 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 10 miutes until browned.
5. Cover the bread with a towel, sprinkle with a little tap water. This will help keep the bread moist.

Here is the recipe for today’s version of the Irish Soda Bread.

Irish Soda Bread

4-41/2 cups flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 tbsp. butter
1 cup raisins
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk

1. Sift together the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter and then stir in the raisins.
2. Add egg and milk and stir. Knead the dough with flour and form a ball, place in a lightly greased cast iron skillet. Cut an X on the top and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 35-45 minutes.

Preparing for St. Patrick’s Day Buffet-Mini Quiche Appetizers

admin — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:22:46 +0000

Our school loves to teach. We also love to eat! Amazingly our staff members are quite fit! Goes to show, anyone can eat and still look good! I received a notice of our March 17 Buffet, St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Great. Green food! Doesn’t bring a pleasant image to my mind but then again when I start thinking of green foods I can come up with quite a few that I can actually taste as I write. I’m going to start to post some of these thoughts in case any of my colleagues visit my site and make the decision to try one of them . Pretty smart on my end: I might get to eat my favorite “green foods” and we all know that food always tastes better if someone else makes it! My first “green” recipe will be an appetizer as my friend, colleague, and neighbor Beth, recently asked me for some appetizer recipes. She usually doesn’t ask for much (hmm) so I shall indulge her wishes.

St. Patrick’s Day Quiche Delights

1/2 pound mushrooms
1/4 cup diced green onions
1/4 cup diced green peppers
1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon
salt & pepper
3 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 tbsp. light cream
1 tsp. mustard-Dijon works best
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line mini muffin tins. Place 18 sliced mushrooms into a single layer in a greased skillet (cast iron works great). Brown, turn, and brown the other side. Set aside for later.
2. Chop mushrooms, onions, peppers, and bacon. Add salt and pepper and cook in butter until onions are soft and all moisture has evaporated.
3. Mix eggs, cream, and mustard. Add mushroom mix and cheese. Stir together.
4. Fill mini tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. When baked, decorate with sauteed mushroom.