CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

I don’t usually think about corned beef and cabbage until I see the seasonal specials in the stores in mid-March. It makes an easy, tasty, one-pot meal; I don’t know why I don’t make it more often. Try my walnut trick to keep the cooking odors from permeating the house and to make the rutabagas taste more like potatoes. (Technically, the following recipe is more like a New England Boiled Dinner, which includes potatoes in addition to beef and cabbage.)  Ingredients: 1 (4-pound) corned beef…

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IRISH MUSINGS

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We think of corned beef and cabbage as a traditional Irish dish, but it is actually Irish/American. According to Bridgett Haggerty of the Irish Cultures and Customs website, cows were generally used for milk in Ireland and were too valuable to eat. Pork was cheaper, so a side of bacon was cooked with cabbage for Easter. The Irish in New York substituted corned beef for bacon, borrowing from their Jewish neighbors, and it has come to be associated with St. Patrick’s Day. She says that…

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