Un-Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ok, so I know the traditional dish for St. Patrick’s Day is corned beef and cabbage, but I don’t actually like corned beef, so I just use a plain brisket.  That being said, you can certainly follow this same recipe using a brisket that has been corned if you prefer.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Brisket, about 3 lbs.
3 medium onions
2 pounds of potatoes
5 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
1 head of cabbage
3 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Parsley
Water

Since this recipe calls for a fair amount of salt, I really recommend getting something decent.  It doesn’t have to be extravagant, but I’d definitely stay away from the stuff in a blue cylinder that you can get for like a buck.  Now, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of said salt on one side of your brisket. 

I know, it sounds like a lot, but this is going to end up being a big pot of food by the time we’re done.  Heat your pan to medium high and add 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil.  I’m using an electric skillet (I seriously love this thing) but you can certainly do this on top of the stove in a large pot.  When the pan is hot, carefully place the brisket, salt side down.  Sprinkle another teaspoon of salt over what is now the top.  It’s ok if you see a little smoke, you want a good sear.  It’ll probably take only a minute or two.  You’ll know it’s ready when it lets go of the pan, and you can easily turn it.  It should be nice and brown along with the flavor residue that’s forming in the pan. 

When the second side is nice and seared as well, add enough water to the pan to come about half way up the side of the roast.  Make sure you lift the roast a bit to allow the water to go underneath it.  See how it’s already a bit brown?  That’s flavor baby! 

Forgive me if I’m slightly giddy.  I’m getting ready to fly home to see my mommy!  And the rest of my family and friends in Utah for the first time since I left 10 months ago, and I’m super excited!  Anyway, once the water is in, add 2 of the onions, the garlic, and pepper.  I like a large dice on the onion and I just threw the garlic cloves in whole.  They’re going to cook long enough they’ll just basically fall apart. 

Now, cover the brisket and leave it to cook on medium low heat for about 2 ½ hours.  Just check on it every 30 minutes or so to make sure there’s still water in the pan.  When the time is up, remove the roast from the pan.  It won’t be falling apart tender yet, which is ok because it’s still going to cook some more. 

Cover it and allow it to cool while you cut up everything else.  After it’s had a good 20 minutes or so to rest, cut it into bite size-ish pieces.  To make sure they’re as tender as possible, first cut the brisket into strips in the direction of the grain. 

Next, slice each of those strips into half inch pieces, this time you’ll be going across the grain.

Throw the pieces of meat back onto the cooking liquid. 

Add the third onion.

The diced potato.  I used yukon golds, so I just left the skin on.

And on top, goes the cabbage.  I know, it’s piled up, but it will cook down.   

Sprinkle on the last teaspoon of salt and put on the lid.  With the heat on medium low, just walk away for 20 minutes.  Don’t stir, don’t peak, just leave it alone.  After 20 minutes, remove the lid. 

Look at that, the cabbage is already wilted.  Now stir everything together and add the carrots.  Put the lid back on and leave it for another 20 minutes. 

During that time, chop up some parsley.  When the 20 minutes is up, stir again.  Turn off the heat, sprinkle over the parsley, put the lid on and leave it for 10 more minutes. 

I know corned beef and cabbage is usually served with everything separate, but I kind of like it just all piled in a bowl with a nice pool of that delicious cooking liquid. 

By now the brisket will melt in your mouth, the potatoes are nice and soft, the carrots perfectly tender, and the cabbage sweet and delicious.  You are going to be blown away by what an amazing meal you’ve made, and in one pot, no less. 

What are your St. Patrick’s Day traditions?

Someone Get Mother Nature a Midol!

I'm pretty sure Mother Nature is suffering from PMS.  She can’t seem to figure out what she wants to do.  At the moment, it’s decided to be cold and miserable again, and for some reason that feels even worse than when it gets cold the first time around.  Well, since I couldn’t seem to get warm, I decided it was time to try warming myself from the inside out.  What better way to do that than with chicken soup?  And what better way to have chicken soup that with homemade noodles like I used to have when I was a kid.  A nice thick, rich broth with big chunks of chicken and chewy, delicious noodles.  Sounds good, right? 

Here’s what you’ll need for the noodles:

2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
4 eggs

Yep, that’s it.  3 ingredients.  The process of making the noodles is almost as simple.  Mix together your flour and salt, and make a well in the middle. 

Whisk all your eggs and pour them in.  Slowly start stirring in the flour. 

Just add from the edges and stir.  You’ll probably have to get your hands in there at some point. 

Eventually, it will come together into a ball. 

If your hands don’t look something like this, you’re not doing it right. 

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and sprinkle flour over the top. 

Knead until it looks something like this:

Make sure it’s well floured all the way around, then wrap the whole thing in plastic and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes.  After that, remove it from the plastic and cut it in half.  Return half of the dough to the plastic, and the other to a floured surface. 

Can’t really take pictures of the rolling process because… well… it takes both hands, but I’m sure you can figure it out.  Just keep everything well floured and keep moving the dough around so it doesn’t stick.  When you get to the right thickness, it should look something like this:

That’s somewhere between ⅛ and ¼ inch, I’d say.  Now it’s time to cut the noodles.  A pizza cutter works fabulously for this.

Cut the dough into long strips. 

Apparently I was cutting while intoxicated, but that’s what makes homemade noodles homemade, right?  Cut the strips into whatever length noodles you like. 

Toss them with more flour so they won’t stick together and spread them onto a rack.  Repeat the process with the other half of the dough.  That way they can dry out a bit while you work on the soup.   

Here’s what you’ll need for the soup:

• Chicken, I used 4 bone-in breasts, but use whatever pieces you like
• 1 medium onion
• 1 bunch of celery
• 2 carrots  
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• Parsley
• Water

In a pan over medium high heat, put a tablespoon of oil and brown your chicken on all sides. 

Add the pepper, half of the celery and onion, the garlic (peel the cloves, but leave them whole), and a tablespoon or so of chopped parsley.  Add enough water to the pan to cover everything. 

Bring it to a boil and allow it to simmer for 40 minutes.  It’s a good time for a break.  After that, remove the chicken pieces from the pan.  Just put them aside to cool for a few minutes. 

Strain the liquid and return it to the pan. 

Add the remaining celery and onion, and the carrots.  Allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes. 

During that time, pull the meat off the chicken pieces, and tear it into whatever size chunks you want.  I like mine a bit on the large side. (That's what she said!!) 

Add it to the pot.

Start adding your noodles a little at a time, stirring after each addition.

Mmmmm… noodles.  They only take a few minutes to cook.  Now’s a good time to add another tablespoon of chopped parsley, as well.   

You can serve it as is, but I like my broth to be a little thick.  Sometimes the flour on the noodles is enough, but this time I needed a bit more.  Whisk together 3 tablespoons flour and ½ cup cold water.  Stir it into the pot, and bring the whole thing back to a boil. 

Allow it sit for a few minutes before serving, then just ladle it into a big bowl.  Then, if your hubby’s out of town and you’re home alone, just snuggle up in your favorite spot, wrapped in a nice cozy blanket, and finally get warm.  Mmmmm.  It doesn’t hurt if you have a little furry space heater in your lap, patiently waiting for you to finish so he can lick the bowl. 

What warms you up when it’s cold outside?