Home » Plants & Animals » Home & Garden Tips » An Irish American St. Patrick’s Day, revisited

An Irish American St. Patrick’s Day, revisited

© Eileen O'dea

This article first appeared last year. I think it's worth rereading.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated differently by Irish Americans. We go all out. Unlike our relatives in Ireland, who celebrate the day as a Holy day. We deck the halls with shamrocks and drink green beer. We're proud of our heritage. But in America, on St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish.

In my family, it's a long standing tradition to have Corned beef and cabbage. This is the meal our immigrant for fathers could afford. For them it was a feast. For us it is a delicious tradition. We start thinking about it in February. Our minds reel with the thought of the tender beef, boiled with spices to perfection. We dream of that mouth watering cabbage, that we cook right in with the beef.

Now we could have this dish any night of the year. We wait, though, until St. Patrick's day. Having Corned beef and cabbage this one day a year, makes it taste all the better. It's kind of like having turkey on Thanksgiving. Sure you can have roasted turkey all year round, but would it taste as good as on Thanksgiving only? Probably not.

Here's my recipe for that wonderful Irish American dish.

Eileen's Corned beef and Cabbage

You will need

A corned beef brisket, size depends on how many dinners.
A head of fresh cabbage
1 Tbl. Pickling spices
1 ½ tsp. Kosher salt
2 tsp. Freshly ground white pepper
Water to cover

In a large stock pot, place the rinsed brisket, spices, salt and pepper. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer. Skim off any sediment that comes to the top. Cover and let simmer for two hours. At the end of the two hours, cut cabbage head in half and add it to the pot. Cover and simmer for 45 more minutes or until the cabbage is tender. Remove the cabbage.

Remove the core of the cabbage and place in a serving bowel. Remove the corned beef and place it on a serving tray. Slice the brisket against the grain of the meat. This will ensure nice even slices. Serve hot.

If you are planning a St. Patrick's Day party, here are some popular festive snacks and drinks.

1. For that ever popular green beer, add a few drops of liquid green food coloring per pitcher.

The copyright of the article An Irish American St. Patrick’s Day, revisited in Home & Garden Tips is owned by . Permission to republish An Irish American St. Patrick’s Day, revisited in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.