| ||||||
Mustard-crusted corned beef
(Serves 4)
I must confess, until I tasted my mother-in-law's (Dolores Iventosch) most excellent corned beef recipe, I never touched the stuff. But, her corned beef was so amazing, it immediately made a convert out of me! Ever since, I jump at the chance to eat corned beef, especially when prepared according to her recipe. The sweet and tangy mustard-brown sugar crust is a perfect complement to the salty corned beef. With St. Patty's Day just around the corner, you might give this corned beef twist a try!
Ingredients
1 four-pound corned beef brisket
1/2 cup mustard (can either use French's or Spicy Brown
such as Sierra Nevada Porter Spicy Brown or Gulden's.
Dolores used French's, which gives a nice tangy
flavor-spicy brown is a wee bit more subtle.)
4 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauceDirections
BrisketRemove brisket from plastic wrap and rinse well to remove brine. Place in large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for three hours until tender in the center. You should be able to easily stick a fork into the center. Remove from liquid and set aside. Trim any excess fat from brisket.
Mustard Crust Mixture
Mix mustard, brown sugar and soy sauce and spread over entire brisket - all sides. Prepare roasting pan with oil. Place brisket in roasting pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until crusty and browned on the outside. Slice across the grain into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Apple, bleu cheese and bacon stuffed cabbage
(Serves 4)Ingredients
1 head green cabbage
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 medium shallots, finely chopped
1/2 green apple (such as Granny Smith or Pippin), peeled, cored and finely diced.
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, or 2-3 fresh sage leaves, minced
4 strips of bacon (can use turkey or apple wood smoked
pork bacon,) cut into 1/4 inch size pieces.
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup White Riesling or Gewurztraminer wine
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup homemade bread crumbs, or finely crumbled bread
Salt and pepper to tasteDirections
Cabbage
Remove 8 to10 outer leaves of cabbage, taking care not to tear, and place in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes, or until wilted and pliable. Remove from water and drain in colander. Set aside.
Stuffing
In large frying pan, heat olive oil and saute garlic, shallots, sage, apples and bacon pieces until bacon is cooked through and veggies are soft and slightly browned. Add breadcrumbs and cook to brown them a bit. Stir in Dijon and wine and cook until wine is mostly evaporated. Remove from heat and mix in bleu cheese.
To Assemble
On a clean work surface, spread out cabbage leaves, and place 2 tablespoons of stuffing mixture toward the thicker end of the leaf. Begin rolling up cabbage, folding sides in after first complete roll. Complete the cabbage roll by tautly folding the top edge of the leaf over the roll. Luckily, it sticks very well, but if you have trouble use a toothpick to secure the closure.
Place in glass baking dish and bake in 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle top of each roll with a few crumbles of bleu cheese before serving.
Skewered horseradish baby new potatoes
(Serves 4)Ingredients
8 to 12 baby new potatoes, cleaned
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Salt and pepper to tasteDirections
Boil potatoes until just barely tender all the way through. (Or you can microwave them until just cooked.) Be careful to not overcook. Remove from water, drain and cool. Place cooled potatoes on baking sheet. Mix olive oil, horseradish, salt and pepper in small bowl. Pour mixture over potatoes and toss with hands to completely coat each potato. Skewer potatoes on 4-inch toothpicks, or kebab skewers. (Depending upon the size of the potatoes, you will probably get two potatoes on each long toothpick, or you can get more onto kebab skewers.) Place skewers on greased baking sheet and cook in 350-degree oven until crunchy on the outside, approximately 15- 20 minutes.
*All of these dishes can be cooked in the same 350-degree oven for the final cooking phase. This makes it easy for timing on the final serving.
Reach the reporter at:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA