Corned beef and cabbage may be the most famous dish to eat on St. Patrick’s Day, but is it really an Irish dish?
Unfortunately, while this Irish-American classic is a favorite, it’s not a true Irish dish.
I know, I know, it’s hard to think of St. Patrick’s Day without glittered shamrocks, green beer, leprechauns, and of course, corned beef and cabbage. Yet, if you went to Ireland on St. Paddy’s Day, you would not find any of these things except maybe the glittered shamrocks. And, just as much as the Irish would not pollute their beer with green dye, they would not eat corned beef, especially on St. Patrick’s Day.
You see, corned beef was used as a substitute for bacon by Irish-American immigrants in the late 19th century. Corned beef and cabbage is the Irish-American variant of the Irish dish of bacon and cabbage.
Although corned beef isn’t actually very popular in Ireland, Irish-Americans love to celebrate their heritage by eating the dish. Below is my favorite slow cooker recipe .
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into large wedges
- 3 large carrots, cut into thirds
- 2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
- 1/2 lb. baby potatoes, halved
- 1 corned beef brisket (2-3 lbs)
- kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 packed pickling spice
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 green cabbage, cut into large wedges
DIRECTIONS
- Add onion, carrots, celery and potatoes to bowl of your crock pot. Place corned beef on top and season generously with salt, pepper, and pickling spices. Scatter thyme and bay leaves over meat and fill slow cooker bowl with water until it is almost completely covering the meat.
- Cook on high for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, until meat is tender. Add cabbage to crock pot and cook on high for 45 minutes to 1 hour more until cabbage is tender and cooked through. Remove meat and vegetables from slow cooker, slice and serve.
St. Patrick himself would approve.
love & kisses,
Mika Jolie
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