We went through the process together in lavish detail. She was happy to teach me every step of the way and was patient each time I stopped her to snap a photo (about 25 times). I got the impression that part of her motivation was to prepare me for carrying the “corned-beef” torch to make in the future for her Brian (my husband). Regardless of her reason, my good fortune is now your good fortune! And as luck would have it, this meal is foolproof! Enjoy~
Serves 4
For the corned beef:
- 2 1/2 lb packaged corn beef brisket with seasoning from your grocer’s meat department
- 1 head of cabbage
- 1/2 lb of carrots, peeled and cut
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 lb-1 1/2 red potatoes
serve with sliced “old world” pumpernickel bread & horseradish sauce
For the horseradish sauce:
- 8 oz jar horseradish drained well
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 oz cream cheese
Step 1. Open the corned beef brisket and rinse well. Place in pot with fatty side facing up (towards you). Empty spice/flavoring packet into the pot.
Step 2. Add 9 cups of water to the pot making sure that the meat is covered at least 1”. This allows enough water for the vegetables to be added later.
Step 3. Add peeled onion & cloves to the pot.
Step 4. Place the pot on medium-high heat, cover, (6 out of 10 on Marge’s cook top) until the water comes to a rolling boil, about 25 minutes.
Step 5. After the water boils, turn down the heat such that the water simmers (3 out of 10 on Marge’s cook top), cover. At this point the entire house was filled with the aroma!
Step 6. Peel the carrots and cut into equal sized portions.
Step 7. Cut the cabbage in half, then into quarters, then into eights, all lengthwise such that each piece of cabbage has a remaining piece of the core. This keeps the cabbage from separating during the boiling process.
Step 8. Peel the potatoes just around the center to “make them pretty”. This step is optional.
Step 9. The carrots, potatoes, and cabbage, need an hour to an hour and a half to boil so add them this far in advance of serving.
Step 10. Remove everything except the onion, and cloves (discard these) from the pot and place them on a very large serving platter! Beautiful!
Ah! Pictured above is Marge plating this amazing meal. You could cut the anticipation in the room with a knife! Also pictured is my darling niece (and my darling brother) just before dinner; she loved the carrots!
p.s. not pictured-homemade chocolate chip cookies and coffee for dessert!
Bringing Out My Inner Hostess: My Attempt to Replicate Marge’s Corned Beef and Cabbage
ReplyDeleteAnd so I begin. Am I strange for being extremely excited about cooking Marge’s corned beef? Once I decided to attempt to replicate this dish two days ago, I have been looking forward to it ever since. Tracey, your website has brought out my inner hostess. I’ve always found a sense of pride in providing good meals and traditions for my family, but haven’t had the right person to guide me and show me and INSPIRE me. I’ve also been looking for an excuse to use my beautiful platter, which hasn’t been put to use since Christmas of 2005 when I brought a chocolate fountain to Nana’s and used the platter for the fruit display… what fun that was! Although, knowing Nana a little better now, I’m sure she was thinking, “What is this girl doing, melting chocolate and making a mess in my kitchen?!”
Now, because I have an inability to follow recipes and a fear of not having enough food for my guests (which now totals 8 this afternoon), I have bought a 4.73 lb corned beef brisket. Therefore, I know I will have to make adjustments accordingly. After pondering the thought of “Oh shoot, did I already mess up everything by not buying the correct brisket size? Do I use two pots or one? What do I do?,” I placed a call to Tracey!... who placed a call to Marge… who said just to put it into the one big pot (that I could possible take a bath in myself) and add an hour to the cooking time. Well, that’s an easy solution, thank goodness!
Referring back to my comment about my inability to follow recipes, I like to add and add and add ingredients, sometimes doubling spices, which, according to my fiancé, ruins the dish every time! So, although adjustments will have to be made, I promise, Tracey, to follow Marge’s recommendations accordingly! But… I did add 2 onions (instead of 1) and 3 garlic cloves (instead of 2) and 18 cups of water (to cover the meat by 1 inch) since I am only using one pot and twice the meat.
I feel like Suzie Homemaker… dang it, Tracey, where’s that apron? I need it!
As I reflect upon the day, I am proud of myself for pulling off a pretty darn-good meal that a woman has been making for nearly fifty years! I followed Tracey’s simple directions, anticipating the final results, and in the end it was impressive and delicious!
I cooked the 4.73 lb brisket for a total of 5 ½ hours and it was nearly perfect, but may have needed a little more time as it wasn’t as tender as Marge’s (but nearly, nevertheless). Cooking is a lesson, and I try not to get discouraged, as it will be even better the next time! During preparation, I was concerned with the varied sizes of the potatoes and cutting the carrots uniformly, fearing that I would have some mushy and some hard veggies in the end. However, every single vegetable was cooked to perfection when added 1 ½ hours before the serving time. My guests were more than impressed when I walked into the room carrying a platter adorned with this gorgeous meal. Of course, the fact that I exclaimed “Ta da” added to the presentation, but I just couldn’t help myself.
I have always had this vision of myself being the type of grandmother (I know I’m only 27 and have a 6-month-old, but hear me out!) who has cookies baking in the oven when my grandchildren arrive and I host weekly Sunday dinners and am a nurturing, tradition-making women who has the cooking skills to pass on to my children and grandchildren; however, I can’t cook a piece of chicken without burning it or over-seasoning it at present! So, I thank you Tracey and Marge for inspiring me to keep on trying because this recipe will be one that I will hold onto and am confident that it will taste better and better each time.