Basic Corned Beef Dinner

From Diana Rattray,
Your Guide to Southern Food.

This is a delicious basic corned beef dinner, made with a variety of spices and vegetables. Feel free to add turnips or cut-up rutabagas to this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 allspice berries
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs or about 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 1 corned beef, about 4 pounds
• 3 cups beef broth
• Water
• 1 medium onion, cut in 6 to 8 wedges
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, washed and quartered (peel if desired)
• 4 large carrots, halved and cut into 3-inch lengths
• 1 small head Savoy cabbage or green cabbage, cored and cut into 6 to 8 wedges
• Chopped fresh parsley, optional

PREPARATION:

Combine the allspice berries, peppercorns, bay leaves, and thyme in a cheesecloth bag; tie tightly.

Put the corned beef in a 6- to 8-quart saucepan or Dutch oven; add beef broth, the seasoning bag, and add water just until beef is covered.

Add garlic and onion. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Remove the corned beef to a platter, cover with foil, and keep warm.

Skim fat from the broth and add the potatoes and carrots to the broth (remove some of the broth if there is too much liquid). Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes. Add cabbage wedges and continue cooking for about 20 minutes, or until cabbage and vegetables are tender.

Slice the corned beef and serve with the vegetables. Sprinkle parsley over the potatoes and cabbage, if desired.
Serves 6.