Food writer and chef Scott Hutcheson joins us to talk St. Patrick's day cuisine.
St. Patty Melt
If you’ve got your heart set on Corned Beef and Cabbage for dinner tonight, you had better be planning to take a half a day of work. Another alternative would be a quick-and-easy St. Patty Melt, a variation on the classic Reuben using shredded cabbage instead of sauerkraut, and a sharp Irish cheese instead of Swiss.
Here’s a recipe for the traditional 4-hour dish and a video that shows you how to make the sandwich. Either way, happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Corned Beef and Cabbage
- One 3-pound corned beef brisket (uncooked), in brine
- 36 ounces of canned vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 4 whole allspice berries
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 pounds), cut into thick wedges
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the corned beef in a colander in the sink and rinse well under cold running water. Place the corned beef in a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid; add the stock, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, and cloves. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Cover and transfer pan to the oven, and cook until very tender, about 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Transfer the corned beef to a cutting board and cover tightly with foil to keep warm. Add the cabbage to the cooking liquid and bring this to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes.
Transfer the cabbage to a large platter. Slice the corned beef across the grain of the meat into thin slices. Lay the slices over the cabbage. You can also ladle some of the hot cooking liquid over the corned beef and season with pepper.
If you are opting for the 15-minute sandwich, you can see how it’s done here.
http://scotthutcheson.typepad.com/scott_hutcheson/2011/03/st-patty-melt.html