Corned Beef and Cabbage
(like Nana used to make!)
From The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Serves 8
1 (3 to 4 pound) corned beef, trimmed
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon whole Black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
Water
1 ½ pounds of small red potatoes (about 9)
1 ½ pounds carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
1 head green cabbage (about 2 pounds) cut into 8 wedges (make sure to keep core of cabbage intact or the cabbage will fall apart)
- Add the corned beef, bay leaves, peppercorns, and mustard seeds to a large Dutch oven and cover by ½ inch of water. Bring to a simmer and cook, skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface, until a fork slides easily in and out of the center of the meat, 2 to 3 hours.
- Heat the over to 200 degrees. Transfer the meet to a large baking dish and ladle 1 cup of the cooking liquid over the top. Cover with foil and keep warm in the oven.
- Add the potatoes and carrots to the liquid left in the pot and simmer until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- When ready to serve, remove the meat from the oven, slice it across from grain into ¼ inch slices, and arrange on a platter. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the platter and moisten with additional cooking liquid as needed before serving.
Serve with grainy mustard.
Corn Chowder
From The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Serves 6
2 pounds of frozen corn
4 slices of bacon, chopped fine
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups of whole milk
12 ounces red potatoes (2 medium) scrubbed and cut into 1/2 -inch cubes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper
- Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Slowly stir in the broth and milk, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and corn. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the cream. Continue to simmer until the corn kernels are tender yet still slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Homemade sauce with meatballs/sausage
Submitted by Peter Gailunas
Sauce:
1 large onion
1 chopped green pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 – 28 oz cans of “kitchen ready” tomatoes
3 – 6 oz cans of tomato paste
18 oz of water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 pounds of Italian sausage
1 bay leaf
Italian seasonings
- Heat olive oil in large pot. Brown onion, pepper and garlic in bottom of the pan. Add 2 pounds of sausage and continue to cook until the onion turns yellow. (Sausage will continue to cook when the sauce is simmering.)
- Add 3 cans of tomatoes, 3 cans of paste, 8 oz of water. Stir until well blended.
- Add a bay leaf and any other Italian seasonings you might like i.e. basil, parsley and oregano to taste.
- Simmer on low for 3 hours stirring occasionally.
Meatballs
2 pounds Ground beef
2-3 garlic cloves minced
1 ½ cups bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh Parsley leaves to taste
4 eggs
Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Shape into balls (ha, ha. He said balls). Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Give the meatballs a shake in the pan and then bake for 10 more minutes. Drop into the simmering sauce.
Buffalo Chicken Mac N’ Cheese
Submitted by Jon Connor
Ingredients:
Approx 1 pound of your favorite Buffalo Chicken Tenders ( I love Kelly’s Landing or Joseph’s) Take out
OR 1 bag of Tyson Buffalo Chicken Tenders from the frozen section of Stop and Shop (cook to directions on package)- cut into bite size pieces, coat with additional Franks Hot Sauce to taste, and set aside.
1 pound small elbow macaroni (1 box)
2 cups chopped green onions (about 8 large)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided
1 bag frozen diced onion (from freezer section-Stop and Shop)
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
2 bags pre-shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (16oz total)
8 ounces provolone cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups packed)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Approx 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Hot Pepper sauce (preferably Frank’s RedHot Original)… (I put that Sh!t on Everything!) – for additional heat if you like..add in wherever, and as much as you want!
- Cook macaroni in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain; transfer to very large bowl. Mix in green onions and oregano with pasta and set aside.
- Melt 6 tablespoons butter in same large pot over medium heat.
- Add chopped onions and garlic.
- Cover; saute until onions are soft but not brown, stirring often, about 6 minutes.
- Add flour; stir 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in milk.
- Bring to boil, whisking constantly.
- Reduce heat and simmer, sauce will begin to thicken up in a few minutes.
- Add all cheeses, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
- Whisk until cheeses melt and sauce is smooth.
- Remove from heat.
- Mix cheese sauce into macaroni.
- Gently mix in chicken pieces.
- Mound mixture in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish, and sprinkle with Panko bread crumbs.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir some hot pepper sauce and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts; spoon over macaroni in dish. Bake macaroni uncovered until heated through, about 30 minutes, or 45 minutes if made ahead.
- ***DO AHEAD! Can be prepared ahead of time and left at room temp for 2 hours before baking…or refrigerate before baking if longer than 2 hours ahead.
Onion-Walnut Scones
Submitted by Julie Montesano
“Although I married a man with Sicilian roots, (Montesano) I am tied to my 100% Irish roots (Murtaugh & McCabe) and celebrate this time of year with these recipes time after time. I hope you enjoy this meal as much as my family and friends have over the years. Remember- everyone’s Irish on St Patrick’s Day!”
(All of these recipes serve 8)
Onion-Walnut Scones
1 t. veg oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/4 cup butter, diced
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 t. grated orange zest
1 egg, lightly beaten
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5-6 minutes; remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the next 4 ingredients.
- Using pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Gently stir in buttermilk, walnuts, zest and onions until just combined.
- Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface form each half into 5 inch circle.
- Cut each circle into 8 triangles.
- Brush tops with egg.
- Transfer to lightly buttered or sprayed cookie sheet.
- Bake 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pan or wire rack 5 minutes before serving.
Boiled Red Potatoes with Lemon-Dill Butter
2 1/2 lbs red potatoes
1/4 cup butter
4 leeks, white part only, thikly sliced crosswise, about 2 cups
1 TB grated lemon zest
1 TB chopped fresh dill
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
With vegetable peeler, remove thin strip of skin from around the middle of each potato(looks nice when serving). In pot over high heat combine potatoes and enough salted water to cover; bring to a boil*. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until tender, 25-30 minutes. Drain. Set aside. Meanwhile, in skillet melt butter over med hi heat. Add leeks; cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients. In bowl gently toss potatoes and leek mixture until potatoes are coated. Salt to taste.
*To prevent the skins from coming off your potatoes, cook them at a gentle boil, not a rolling boil and boil until just tender*
Horseradish-Crusted Corned Beef with Caraway Cabbage
4 lb corned beef brisket
2 onions, peeled and quartered
2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 t. dried thyme
2 t. dried mustard powder
1 bay leaf
4 TB chopped fresh parsley – divided in half
2 lbs green cabbage, cut into 1 1/2 inch wide strips
(about 12 cups)
1 TB caraway seeds
1 jar(6 oz) prepared horseradish, drained and squeezed dry
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 TB oil, pref olive
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
3 TB. mustard, preferably country-Dijon style
- In pot over med-hi heat, combine first 8 ingredients, 2 TB parsley and enough water to cover by 2 inches.
- Cover; bring to a boil. Skim foam from top of liquid. Reduce heat to med-low; gently simmer until beef is easily pierced with a fork, 3-31/2 hours.
- Transfer beef to jelly roll pan; cover and set aside.
- With slotted spoon, remove vegetables from water and discard. Add cabbage and caraway seeds to cooking liquid in same pot; over med-hi heat bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to med-low; simmer until cabbage is tender, 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, position oven rack about 6 inches from broiler heat source. Preheat broiler.
- In bowl combine next 5 ingredients and remaining parsley. Spread mustard over top of beef.
- Press bread crumb mixture onto mustard. Broil until golden brown- 5 minutes- depending upon your broiler- watch it closely!!
- Serve with Cabbage.
Irish Coffee Cake (A decadent mocha layer cake!!)
3 cups cake flour
1 TB baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 TB Irish whiskey
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 cup butter at room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar, divide 1 cup aside
6 egg whites at room temp
1/4 t. cream of tartar
Filling
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup strong brewed liquid coffee
3/4 heavy cream
3 TB confectioner’s sugar
1 t. Irish whiskey
1/2 t. vanilla
Frosting
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 TB confectioner’s sugar
3 TB unsweetened cocoa powder
Chocolate shavings and curls (take a chocolate candy bar and use your potato peeler to create the curls/shavings)
- For cake, position oven rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 (9inch) round cake pans.
- Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Combine milk, whiskey and vanilla; set aside.
- In large bowl with mixer at high speed, beat butter with 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk mixture in thirds until just combined.
- In clean bowl with clean beaters at high speed beat egg whites until frothy.
- Beat in cream of tartar. Gradually beat in remaining sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold egg-white mixture into batter in thirds. Divide batter between cake pans.
- Bake 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.
- Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on racks.
- Meanwhile, for filling, in small pot sprinkle gelatin over coffee; let stand 1 minute.
- Over low heat cook, stirring, until gelatin dissolves completely, 2 minutes. Let cool until slightly thickened, 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat cream, confectioners sugar, whiskey and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold egg-white mixture into batter in thirds. Divide batter between cake pans. Bake 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.
- Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on racks.
- Meanwhile, for filling, in small pot sprinkle gelatin over coffee; let stand 1 minute.
- Over low heat cook, stirring, until gelatin dissolves completely, 2 minutes. Let cool until slightly thickened, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat cream, confectioners sugar, whiskey and vanilla until stiff peaks form, 1-2 minutes. Fold about 1/3 of the cream mixture into coffee mixture to lighten.
- Fold in remaining cream mixture until just combined.
- Refrigerate until slightly stiffened, 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for frosting, with mixer at low speed, beat together heavy cream, confectioners sugar and cocoa. Increase speed to high; beat until stiff peaks form, 1-2 minutes.
- Place 1 cake layer on serving plate. Spread with filling.
- Top with second cake layer and spread top and sides with frosting.
- Gently press chocolate shavings/curls onto sides and top of layer cake.
- Serve with a Hot Irish Coffee!!!
Irish Brown Soda Bread
From the kitchen of my great-grandmother in Thurles, Tipperary
Submitted by Joe Lee
2 cups of whole-wheat flour
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
6 tablespoons butter
¼ cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
Extra all-purpose flour (for sprinkling)
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper (21st century edition)
- Mix well, wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Add butter and cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Add the sugar and the buttermilk .
- Work the dough into a moist clump (use your hands).
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead it gently until it is smooth.
- Form it into a large flat cake about 2 inches thick. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet.
- With a sharp knife mark a ¾ -inch-deep cross on the top of the dough. (I’m sure it also has a religious significance).
- Bake the bread for 50 minutes or until it is browned and the dough sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Transfer the bread to a rack to cool.
- Have the butter ready. Enjoy
Mary Burkes Irish Soda Bread
Submitted by Susan (McGuire) Gailunas
Makes 2 large loaves
This will have a crunchy crust and just a hint of sweetness.
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
4 Cups flour
1 Cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
4 Teaspoons baking powder
3/4 Teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 Egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 Cup raisins
- Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter with a pastry blender or fork. Add the flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well with the blender or fork.
- In another bowl, stir together the egg and buttermilk.
- Make a well in the flour-butter mixture. Pour in the egg mixture. Mix gently but thoroughly. Stir in raisins.
- Transfer the dough to the pans, dividing it evenly. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean.
- Cool the loaves in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out of the pans and leave to cool completely.
Auntie Karen’s Famous Ritzy Bars
Ingredients:
2 sleeves of Ritz Crackers
1 package of Nestle
Chocolate morsels
1 can sweetened condensed milk.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Crush and crumble crackers.
- Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Spray small brownie pan (8×8)with cooking spray and spread the mixture evenly across baking pan.
- Bake in over for 12 – 15 minutes. Quick and easy and very delicious!
Dips
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Submitted by Courtney Dahill Sheppeck
- First, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil in a pan.
- Then take spinach, (chopped) and cook. Leave to the side.
- Wash and drain artichoke hearts from the can and rough chop them into very small bits.
- Add to a large mixing bowl: shredded asiago cheese, cream, artichokes and then spinach.
- Mix together so that liquid evaporates into the mixture. Place in 8 by 8 casserole pan. (If no such dish, brownie pan or cake pan will do.)
- Top with a little powdered parmesan cheese.
- Cook in oven at 350 degrees for twenty five minutes or until the middle starts to bubble. It will be very hot.
- Serve with nacho chips or pita chips or crackers if you like. I recommend Tostitos nacho chips Scoops. You can make this ahead of time cover it and refrigerate up until time of cooking.
Ingredients:
About 2 tablespoons EVOO
Half bag of fresh spinach
3 cups of shredded asiago cheese, if you cannot find asiago cheese, Sorento makes an Italian blend that will do.
2 and half cups of heavy cream
Nacho chips or crackers to be served along side dip.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Submitted by Peter Gailunas:
1 pound Boneless Chicken Breast
8 oz. Philly Cream cheese
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup of Frank’s Original Hot Sauce
1 cup of Ranch Dressing
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Boil the chicken in a pot for 30 to 40 minutes until cooked through.
- Cut the cream cheese into 15 cubes and place them in a 13×9 baking pan
- Evenly sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the cream cheese and around the pan
- Pour 1 cup of Ranch dressing and 1 cup of Frank’s Hot Sauce on top of cheeses
- Bake for about 10 minutes
- Remove from oven and stir until blended
- Bake another 10 minutes
- While mixture is baking shred chicken
- When mixture is done baking, add shredded chicken and mix well.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes.
- Pour into serving bowl and serve with torilla chips.
Drinks
Irish Coffee
1 1/2 oz. Jamesons
1 tsp brown sugar
6 oz hot coffee
heavy cream
Nutty Irishman Coffee Drink
1 oz. Bailey’s
1 oz. Frangelica
Add coffee and top off with whip cream. Yum!
Black & Tan
Black and Tan:
Ale or beer glass, chilled
1/2 fill Bass Pale Ale
1/2 fill Guinness
