Erin Go Bragh...Slante...Cead Mile Failte....Happy St.
Patrick's Day...the wearin' o' the green...Do I sound like a stand at the Parade?  The Irish Immigrants most enduring
gift to America is the celebration of St. Patty's Day wherever (or not) there are groups of Irish-Americans living.  NYC,
Chicago, you name it, there is probably a St. Patty's Day Parade, Party, Festival, going on or about March 17, the actual
feast of St.Padraic, or Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The most recognizable food of this day is the Irish-American
Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner.  Before any of you hard core Irish peeps out there start yelling at this Italian blogger,
I know, I know...there is no corned beef in Ireland. I've been there, I looked for it, it's not there.  But I did have the "real"
version of the dish which is a boiled piece of loin bacon to which onions, parsnips, potatoes (always),herbs, and
cabbage are added to, slow simmered and served with plenty of brown bread, or soda bread.  Ok, now am I on the
right O'track with this?
  I remember having this meal at
a seaside pub on the West Coast of Ireland, in the shore resort town of Rossnowlagh Beach.  To the right and north of
this area is Northern Ireland, where, after a shopping trek to Belleek for their signature basketweave and shamrock
motifed china, we were asked at gunpoint by 6 Northern Irish soldiers to get out of the car so they could search it.  The
disco in Belfast had just been bombed and any American in Northern Ireland was immediately looked at as a potential
terrorist, IRA sympathizer.  They even removed our Dan Dooley Rent-a-Car seats out of the car!  After a scare like that
there was only one thing to do...find somewhere to eat again!  We found the Derragarra Inn in County Cavan right on
the N3 which led us into Dublin.  Beef barley Mushroom Soup, with fresh dill and carrots, and the flakiest biscuits with
golden Irish butter....We ended the evening in Dublin and had a very late dinner...the fear of death will make you eat...
crisp Dublin Bay Prawns with tartar sauce and chips....minted peas....glorious dinner....and we weren't shot!

Right now, it's time for Corned Beef and Cabbage, my way.  No..don't shake your head, I'm not putting pecorino in this.
However, garlic is involved.  Follow me...Buy a nice cut of Corned Beef, about a 4 -5 lb. piece, this will feed about 4-5
people...this is one piece of meat that really shrinks as it cooks...and MUST be cut thin to really enjoy it..i hate big fatty
chunks of it...Place the corned beef in a large pot and cover it with water plus 1 cup of beer, 1/4 cup of Bushmills, Tulla-
more Dew, or Jamesons', must be real Irish whiskey.  Add 1/2 cup of honey, 2 bay leaves, 1 chopped onion, 6 of the
large outer cabbage leaves, torn, peppercorns, 4 whole cloves, 3 smashed cloves of garlic, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp.
salt, 3 tbs. brown sugar, 3 tbs. mustard.  2 sprigs fresh thyme.Blend, bring to a boil, then simmer for 50 minutes per lb, covered.




Now you have plenty of time to cook the rest of the meal.  Cube 6 medium sized redskin potatoes. Boil them in plenty of
salted water to which you have added 1/2 onion, and 3 smashed garlic cloves.  Cook till done, this takes about 15 minutes
or when a fork or knife will easily slide through a cube.  Gently drain them.  Add 1/4 stick unsalted butter (or get some
Kerrygold Irish butter if your store sells it...)to the pot.  Dice together 1/2 a red onion and 1/4 cup flat leave parsley together.
Add them to the butter, it will be melting from the heat of the pot, now add the potatoes, some salt and lots of freshly
cracked black pepper.  Keep stirring this and the potatoes begin to "smash", you will be left with a pot of smashed
well seasoned potatoes...don't over work them, the'll just turn into mashed potatoes with skins.  Cover and just reheat
gently when ready to serve.
 Saints Preserve Us, these are good spuds!

While the potatoes are boiling you can begin the cabbage by slicing an onion thinly and in a wide skillet, sauteeing the
onions in some vegetable oil and 1/4 stick of butter...(don't faint, you don't eat like this every day, the Irish in Ireland
are not shy with butter), some salt and pepper, let this saute' for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
 While these are gently cooking, take a medium
head of cabbage and with a sharp and heavy knife, quarter it.  Then on an angle cut out the central core and add
that flavor into the corned beef pot. 
  Isn't a cabbage head a thing of beauty? It's truly one
of my favorite vegetables.  Now slice the quarters into 1 inch strips, then in half add to the pan with the onions, tossing
well each time you add the cabbage.  Lower the heat, and add 1 ladleful of the corned beef liquid to the pan, then
cover with aluminum foil. Let this braise on low for about 40 minutes.  The cabbage will be oh so good.


The corned beef  needs to sit in its' braising liquid for a good half hour (even better if you do it the day before and reheat
it, then slice it) before you slice it.  If you can push your finger through the meat, it's done.  Firm Corned beef has no place
on your plate.  This is brisket, the same rules apply.  St.Patrick's Day of course brings back great memories of the
special dinners my mom would make on that day, with her homemade soda bread, green tablecloth, shamrocks on
the windows, Irish cream in the coffee...and how she loved to fuss for my Irish-American father-in-law,  the late John
Myles Cooney.  He got a big kick out of his daughter's Italian-American family putting out a tradtional spread for St.
Patty's Day.  I'm sure he was smiling down on us yesterday while we were eating this very sentimental meal.  A
Happy St. Patty's Day to all!!