Corned Beef and Cabbage


Call me impatient.

I couldnt wait any longer.

Even though St Patrick's Day is not until March 17th,


I've already enjoyed the traditional fare once this past Sunday.

Now I'm looking forward to planned-overs tonight!


I braised the corned brisket (for three hours on Saturday morning in a dutch oven filled with water) and wrapped it in aluminum foil for Sunday's re-heating (with the time bake function on my oven.)

Then I used some of the liquid (stock) in the pressure cooker to steam the potatoes, onions, and carrots.

I re-heated the veggies while I was at church on Sunday by using a timer attached to the crockpot?








See the cabbage there in the background.... on the far left?

I did wait until we got home from church to fix that. 

After slicing the head of cabbabe into big chunks, I steamed it in the pressure cooker with approximately 1 cup of stock.


Here's a link to the Irish Soda Bread recipe complete with photo.

A Cavit Pinot Noir complimented the flavorful meal.

Dessert, you wonder?

Georgia Peaches I'd *put up* last August, then served with Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream, a Pecan Sandie Cookie and a cup of Starbucks Verona Coffee.

What's your favorite way to celebrate St Patrick's Day?

Leg of Lamb

BEFORE

6.16 lb leg of lamb
rubbed with a paste
of spices including
rosemary
garlic,
and
salt/pepper

Preheat oven
to 300 degrees.



Roast meat for one hour at 300. Turn temperature down to 190 and roast for 8 more hours. Do not open the oven door.

Here are the tender results.

AFTER















The formula for the slow-roasting methoding of cooking larger, less-tender cuts of meat is taken from Adelle Davis's cookbook.

Cooking the meat at 300 degrees for one hour kills any harmful bacteria.

Then turn the oven down to the internal temperature of the meat at desired doneness (somewhere between 160 - 190 degrees) depending on the type of meat.

Continue roasting at this temperature for three times the *normal* length of time.

So, if lamb should be roasted for 30 minutes per pound at 325 in order to be fully cooked. Then I multiplied the 30 minutes times three and got 90 minutes per pound. I multiplied that figure times the 6 lbs for my particular piece of meat. Total roasting time was 540 minutes.

I put my leg in the oven before bed on Saturday night, enjoyed the wafting aromas during the night, and pulled it out of the oven Sunday morning. It was very tender.

Hope I have not confused you.

I've been cooking this way for years.

Here's a link to the same method but with a turkey.

Have you ever tried it?

Pork Chop and Rice

In a very large roasting pan, spread out uncooked brown rice.

Use whatever amount of rice you need to complement the number of pork chops you're serving.

I used 2 cups uncooked.


This photo was taken before baking.







After having browned the chops in a frying pan, place each on top of rice. Then *decorate* each with 1)thinly sliced sweet onion, 2)green pepper ring, and 3)stewed tomato.

Pour piping hot beef bouillon over casserole. Cover tightly (very) with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for one hour. Turn down to 200 for one hour. Remember that the baking time is governed by the thickness of the chops. Mine were thick. I left this pan in the oven while we were at church, having set the time bake function to warm the dish for 30 mins prior to our arrival.

There are all kinds of tricks to preparing this easy recipe ahead, from preparing and baking the day before and reheating to getting up earlier on Sunday morning. The total prep time for this dish is 30 mins.



More on this menu in the menu section of my Xanga

This picture was taken after baking, when I prepared the recipe on another day.

Hint: see that there are more chops in the dish :)

Slow Roasted Turkey















Preheat oven to 300 degrees. This takes at least ten minutes.

In the meantime, remove neck and innards from defrosted turkey. Run cold water over bird and rinse inside cavity. Pat dry. Place on a rack in a large roasting pan, breast side down.

Place in preheated oven for one hour. Set a timer :)

At the end of the first hour, without opening the door to the oven, reduce the heat to 190 degrees (warm on my thermostat dial) and continuing roasting for the same number of hours as the weight of the turkey in pounds. I mean if the turkey weighs 13 lbs, roast the turkey for 13 hours, AFTER the first hour.

The nicest thing about this method is the fact that the turkey can roast all night, when you dont usually need the oven. Or for smaller roasts, during the day while you are at work or running errands.

The down side is lack of oven space for baking other things, if you you have only one oven. I have taken my turkey out at noon, for example, pulled it apart and arranged it on a platter; covered it with wax paper; and not served dinner until 5 o'clock.

For detailed instructions about slow roasting, I refer to Adelle Davis's book, Let's Cook it Right.

I have successfuly slow-roasted beef roasts, legs of lamb, pork (fresh hams), and chicken. I do not recommend this method for small, boneless cuts of meat, although it works well for the Boston Butt cut of pork.

BBQ Ribs

Last June I blogged about some of the things I have learned from my father (see June '06 archive). Today I am adding to the list by detailing his method of grilling baby back pork ribs: a summer holiday tradition.

Here he is getting ready the *secret* BBQ sauce. We have used a variety of concoctions over the years, usually some combination of a vinegar-based sauce and a tomato-based sauce.



Also, before hand the grill must be prepared. We have upgraded from the old-timey real charcoal bricks to a fancy gas grill. Either way, using heavy aluminum foil he creates trays which sit on top of the heat and below the grates. Not only does this contraption collect the drippings (which cause flames) but also it diffuses the heat (which promotes even cooking).





Once the grill is preheated to a medium low heat, he carefully places the racks on the grate.


Then he paints BBQ sauce on top of the ribs, generously applying with a mop-like brush. Note to self: find a picture of that!

Close the top of the grill and head for a comfortable chair.


Dont forget a book.



Here's a suggestion, Portrait of a Father, by Robert Penn Warren.

My dear old dad reads voraciously. And while I'm not sure what he's reading right now, I plan to ask him tomorrow. I could never hope to keep up with his pace. But I'm not afraid to interrupt his reading and that's how I learned to grill ribs.



But wait!

Before you sit down, prepare frozen margaritas for everyone.


However that requires another entry with instructions for his special blend.


But I'll need to tie him down to get him to tell me the secret.


Stay tuned.



Over the course of the next several hours, DD hops up and down tending to the ribs. Turning the racks over about every half hour and coating them generously with more BBQ sauce. Those six racks you see spent over two hours on the grill. After which time, we placed them in the oven on *200*, while four more racks were cooked.

This oven-time is key to the cooking process and must be calculated into the overall timing. It is based on our use of Adele Davis's Slow Roast Method described in her book, Let's Cook It Right.





Here's the finished product!


Along with a link to the menu.


Yum! Yum!!


Did you learn any special cooking techniques from your father?

Beef with Currants

3 lbs beef, stew meat,  (1 1/2"-size cubes)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 Tbs butter
18 small onions, peeled (can substitute lg white onion, sliced in crescent shapes)
1 can tomato paste

1/2 cup dry red wine
2 Tbs wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf, broken
1 2" piece whole cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp whole cloves
1/2 tsp ground  cumin
1/3 cup currants

Preparation ~

1.   Assemble and prepare all ingredients
2.   Season meat with salt and pepper.  In 6 qt oven-proof casserole, melt butter and add meat, stirring to coat well - do not brown.
3.  Add onions and tomato paste.

At this point you may stop and continue later ~

4.   Combine wine, vinegar, and garlic;  pour over casserole.  Add seasonings and currants.

Cooking ~

5.   Cook, covered, in 300 degree oven for 3 hrs, or until meat is tender.

Serves 6
Doubles, refrigerates, and freezes well


Consider serving this Greek stew with baked bulghur (or brown rice), spinach salad, and hot French bread.

Pork with Eggplant

Robert Ackart

I own about 5 or 6 of his cookbooks and recommend them highly. Delicious, creative food with side dish and wine suggestions. Recently I prepared the following receipe which I will try and link to the Prairie Muffin site to see if there are any *takers.*



Prep Time:35 mins Serves 6 Doubles easily Refrigerates/Freezes well

2 T olive oil
1 1/2 lbs lean, boneless pork, cut into 1" bites
salt & pepper
In a flameproof casserole, heat the oil and in it brown the pork. Season w/S&P. Remove and reserve. (I skipped the browning part)

2 onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 green peppers, seeded and julienned

In the remaining fat, cook the onion, garlic, and pepper until the onion is translucent.

1/2 C brown rice
1 1lb can Italian tomatoes
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Over the onion mixture, sprinkle the rice. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle them with cinnamon.

1 lg eggplant, peeled and diced
1/2 C brown rice
10 oz frozen okra
1 1lb can Italian tomatoes
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Over the tomatoes arrange the eggplant in a flat layer. Replace the pork in a flat layer. Over it, sprinkle the rice. If desired, add the okra. Add more tomatoes and sprinkle with more cinnamon.

At this point, you may stop and continue later. (I refrigerated my stew in my dutch oven overnight)

Bake the casserole, covered, at 375 for 1.5hrs

This was so yummy and so easy. I served with steamed English peas and freshly baked bread. And I had enough to serve as *planned overs*. You know, on one of those evenings, where you arrive home late, having had no time to cook.