On Sunday the pugs got all dress up to participate in the Jersey City St. Patrick's day parade (since the parade shut down the street outside our house there was really no where else we could have gone):
Clearly, we were the cutest and most Irish participants there. Mom loves parades, something about their kitschy-ness. She was squealing over the Elks in their green jackets and a club of elderly bowlers in sequined costumes, but sadly those pictures did not come out. We however, thought it was a bit crowded and were eager to head home.
Since mom and dad love to eat they spent the rest of the weekend cooking. First they made corned beef with buttered cabbage and buttered potatoes and parsley sauce. According to mom cooking the cabbage, beef and potatoes separately is much tastier, even if it is less traditional.
Corned Beef in The Slow Cooker
2-3 lb corned beef (with spice packet)
5 carrots peeled and chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 bottle Irish Stout, I used Brooklyn Brewery but Guiness would be good too
Place the carrots and onion in the slow cooker place the corned beef on top and sprinkle over the spice packet. Pour in the beer and then add more water to the beer bottle pouring over until the beef is just covered. Turn the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 to 10 hrs.
Parsley Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup plain flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
3/4 cup minced parsley
Melt the butter over low heat and stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Stir over low heat with a wooden spoon until everything is combined. Cook for about two minutes. Very slowly add the milk, stirring the entire time, cook for five minutes until you have a thick sauce. Stir in the parsley.
Buttered potatoes
3 lbs scrubbed and quartered Yukon gold potatoes
3 tbsp salted butter, preferably irish
salt and pepper
1/4 cup parsley and chives mixed, or just one
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and boil the potatoes for 20 min. Toss with the butter, salt and pepper, parsley and chives.
Buttered Cabbage
1 large head cabbage, sliced thinly
3 to 4 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot melt the butter and 1/4 cup water over medium heat until it simmers. Stir in the cabbage, salt, and pepper and stir with a wooden spoon. Cover the pot and cook for 8 minutes.
Mom and Dad say the best part of corned beef is the left overs, because the next morning you can make:
Corned Beef Hash with Poached Eggs
2 cups shredded corned beef
2 cups diced left over buttered potatoes
1 yellow onion diced
6 tbsp butter
1/4 cup parsley
4 eggs
1 tsp vinegar
salt and pepper
Stir the corned beef, potatoes, and onion together in a large bowl. Melt 4 tbsp butter over medium heat in a large skillet, preferably cast iron. Once the butter has melted add the hash mixture pressing it into a large pancake with a spatula. Cook 10-12 minutes until well browned on the underside. Carefully invert the hash onto a large plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons of butter in the skillet and slide the uncooked side of the hash pancake back into the skillet. Cook 10 to 12 minutes more.
Meanwhile bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in a large wide pot and add 1 tsp of white vinegar. One at a time carefully crack eggs into a tea cup and slide the eggs out of the tea cup into the simmering water. Cook for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the poached eggs from the water and place on top of the hash. Serve the hash with parsley sauce and/or hot sauce.
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