Yes, they're the ubiquitous pickling spice blend that gets thrown into the pot with the corned beef while it simmers.
Apparently corned beef and cabbage is a horrifyingly American tradition; not at all a holiday meal in Ireland.
So what? I'm not Irish. I just like stealing holiday food traditions. And if this one happens to be a kooky New World invention, consumed on a day celebrating a saint (I'm not Catholic either), well, that doesn't make it any less tasty.
The house smells absolutely fantastic right now, and tomorrow I get to eat a corned beef sandwich made from the leftovers.
UPDATE: My dad sent me a note just now informing me that actually, I am a little bit Irish. One eighth. Slattery clan, from County Kerry. And I just thought I was American.
Huh. Makes you wonder what we talked about at the dinner table when I was a kid. School? Cool hair-dos? Politics?
I don't think I recall ever hearing about the Slattery clan. I don't even know if they're on my mom's side or my dad's, or how far back they go.
Well.
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona dhaoibh.
(Cool! I'm channeling the Slatterys.)
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9 comments:
Ooooooooooooooh, corned beef. I used to always, always do this (in spite of its inauthenticity) but right now I have a lovely little lamb stew a-cookin' in the kitchen. No green beer but a wee bit of Irish whisky and tatties with the stew.
Alas. There will be no corned beef sandwich tomorrow.
PS Me grannie's name was Mahaffey.
Save some for Corned Beef Hash!
Scott Hutcheson
http://scotthutcheson.typepad.com
Well, Scott and Kudzu: Turns out the meat was a lot different from our usual corned beef. This was brined without nitrates, and it was made from the round portion, not the brisket.
So it's not gonna be good for sandwiches: a little dry and mealy.
Hash!!! Yeah. All set to go.
Corned beef! Love it. I bought a couple when Safeway had them on sale. Have you ever thought about doing your own? I used to make them from scratch when I lived in Baltimore, but, then I did a lot of things from scratch back then. :G: Is it old age or just laziness?
I've been thinking about making my own corned beef for years. One butcher told me it'd never work without nitrates. To which I snorted, "My mother never used nitrates in hers." So for whatever reason (OK, age AND laziness) I got talked out of it.
Might try next year. ;)
I hear there was a huge controversy over the corned beef thing yesterday what with it being Lent and all. I wonder how many folks indulged in corned beef who weren't supposed to.
Dagny: Hadn't heard about that one. Wouldn't you think a clever Catholic would check the calendar and see what feast days overlap with Lent, and forswear something less crucial? Or is meat always given up?
OK, all: We've arrived at next year's recipe for corned beef: Braised in Guiness!!! I can't wait. It's so -- illegal!
Welcome to new found Irishness!
Someone once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who are Irish and those who wish they were. I always wanted to be (they seem to have the most fun, and the Irish lilt of an accent--lovely). Last year I found I was--though only 1/16th, so I think that means my little finger is Irish.
I biked through County Kerry--some of the most beautiful countryside.
Hi, Tea. (High tea!) Yes, I read on your site the other day that you had just discovered your inner leprechaun. Well. Begorrah!
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