An Irish-style meal, complete with Guinness beer
My family has always made a tradition of cooking corned beef and
cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day. Usually we just boil up the corned
beef with the pickling spices and then add in a head of cabbage cut
into wedges for the last few minutes. Then we serve the cabbage
with red wine vinegar, and I mix up ketchup and mustard as a
dipping sauce for the salty meat.
An Irish-style meal, complete with Guinness beer
My family has always made a tradition of cooking corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day. Usually we just boil up the corned beef with the pickling spices and then add in a head of cabbage cut into wedges for the last few minutes. Then we serve the cabbage with red wine vinegar, and I mix up ketchup and mustard as a dipping sauce for the salty meat.
But a couple months ago I got a call from a Pinnacle reader who wanted to comment on a food column. She also said she would like it if I tried out a recipe for corned beef cabbage that uses Guinness because she lost a recipe that she used to use. I decided to take her up on the challenge. It was easy enough to find a recipe that incorporates the favorite drink of the Irish – a bottle of dark Guinness beer. The recipe below adds in some extra vegetables to the mix, leaving plenty of veggies to cook up into a hash for leftovers the next day.
Since I had to buy Guinness for the corned beef recipe, I also decided to try a chocolate stout cupcake recipe I found. The beer provides a light flavor in the mix, but the cupcakes are moist because of sour cream and melted butter that go into the batter. I may not like drinking beer, but when incorporated into meals or desserts, it can actually taste pretty good.
The other recipe is for Irish soda bread, which I ate a few times when I studied in Ireland for a semester in college. I picked up some from the grocery store that had a strong anise flavor mixed in with the sweet flavor of the raisins. Below is a recipe that uses buttermilk to add a little tang to the bread.
Enjoy these recipes on St. Patrick’s Day, or any time of the year.
Corned beef and cabbage
Recipe courtesy of Melissa d’Arabian
5 lb. corned beef
5 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
10 peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
12 oz. stout (recommended: Guinness)
1 c. beef broth or stock
Water, for simmering
4 yellow onions, cut into wedges, plus 1 medium yellow or sweet onion, sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
6 medium red potatoes, scrubbed
1 medium head green cabbage, cut into quarters, core removed
4 tbsp. butter
Rinse the corned beef and put it into a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot. Make a bouquet garni with the garlic, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves and add to the pot. Stir in the stout, stock and enough water to cover the beef by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 hours, covered, stirring occasionally.
After 4 hours, add the onion wedges, parsnips, and carrots, and cook for a 1/2 hour. Add the potatoes and the cabbage wedges and continue cooking until the cabbage is tender, but not limp, about 20 minutes. Remove the cabbage to a plate and allow the corned beef and other vegetables to continue cooking until the meat is tender.
In a separate large saute pan, heat 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, and a pinch of salt and saute until tender and beginning to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the cabbage thinly, gently pressing with a paper towel to remove excess water. Add the cabbage to the onion mixture and toss to coat well with the butter. Cook over medium heat until the cabbage begins to brown.
Remove the meat to a cutting board and slice. Serve at the table with all the vegetables piled onto a serving tray and the sliced meat onto another tray with some of the broth poured over the meat.
Irish soda bread
Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter
2 eggs
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/3 c. raisins
In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg and buttermilk. Stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in raisins.
Knead on a floured surface for 1 minute. Shape into a round loaf; place on a greased baking sheet. Cut a 1/4-in.-deep cross in top of loaf. Beat remaining egg; brush over loaf.
Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 6-8 servings.
Chocolate stout cupcakes
Recipe courtesy of Dave Lieberman
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa, plus more for dusting finished cupcakes
2 c. sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch fine salt
1 bottle stout beer (recommended: Guinness)
1 stick butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 c. sour cream
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3/4 to 1 c. heavy cream
1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.
In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at time. Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
Lightly grease 24 muffin tins. Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.
To make the icing:
In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream. On low speed, slowly mix in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Icing can be made several hours ahead and kept covered and chilled.
Top each cupcake with a heap of frosting and dust with cocoa.
