Nobody in my house likes Corned Beef & Cabbage. Except my very Irish husband. So every year I’ll make Corned Beef & Cabbage. For him.
Now this year it tasted pretty good. I think maybe because I bought Trader Joe’s uncured Corned Beef round. It has no nitrates and is flavored & packed with various vegetable juices and spices. It looked pretty good; just awfully expensive at $7 a lb. compared with the supermarket prices of $2-3 a lb for the regular Corned Beef.
Corned Beef under Sauteed Vegetables
I used my slow cooker this time and dumped the whole package of corned beef plus juices in. The directions said to add cold water to cover the meat, but I had some homemade chicken stock on hand that I wanted to use. Along with a bottle of dark beer. Then I cooked the meat on low for a couple of hours.
Tender & Fragrant
Before I added the cabbage, onions and carrots, I browned them quickly in a little canola oil for added flavor. This all cooked for another four hours. Sounds like a long time, but when my paring knife went in the meat easily, I knew it was done.
Instead of the traditional Irish Soda Bread, I made some classic yeast rolls instead with a recipe I got years ago out of a Martha Stewart magazine.
Mixing the Dough
Classic Light Rolls
Makes 24
1/3 C. sugar
1 package active dry yeast
¼ C. warm water
1 ¼ C. milk
¾ C. unsalted butter, melted & cooled
Dough is Risen & Ready to Shape
2 ½ t. salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 ½ – 5 C. all-purpose flour
1 beaten egg to glaze the rolls
Combine water, yeast & a pinch of sugar in a bowl. Whisk. Wait 10 minutes until foamy.
If you have an electric mixer (like a Kitchen aid…) use it! Otherwise, do it by hand.
Add sugar, eggs, butter, milk and salt to yeast mixture. Gradually add enough flour to form a sticky dough. Coat the inside of a large bowl with melted butter. Turn dough into bowl, cover & let rise until doubled…2-3 hours.
Shaped and Ready to Rise
Turn dough out on buttered counter. Butter hands & divide into 24 pieces. Shape into balls and place on parchment paper covered baking sheet. Cover with buttered plastic wrap loosely. Let rise until light about 30-40 minutes.
Cooling on a Rack
Preheat oven to 350, brush with beaten egg and bake for about 20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Let cool on a rack.
Ready to Eat
And this is what our Corned Beef Dinner looked like…..
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