East Texas Quarterly Magazine Spring 2014

To East Texans of Irish descent, Saint Patrick’s Day · 1 medium onion, quartered means more than sporting of green and eating · 2 medium yellow potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces traditional Irish food. They are very proud of their · 1/2 cup water heritage and grateful to America for offering so many opportunities. For many restaurants serving up a hearty platter of corned beef and cabbage on Saint Patrick’s Day is an American-Irish tradition for despite theories to the contrary, corned beef and cabbage is not native to Ireland. In the mid-to-late 19th century, Irish immigrants to the United States began substituting corned beef for bacon when making the dish, hence creating corned beef and cabbage Like the original, it sometimes includes additional vegetables (especially carrots and potatoes); this also gives it a certain similarity to the New England boiled dinner, which almost invariably contains a mixture of root vegetables along with boiled meat and cabbage. Corned beef and cabbage remains a popular food in some areas of the United States, and is often the dish of choice on St. Patrick’s Day. CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE Ingredients · 3 pound corned beef brisket with spice packet · 1/2 small head cabbage, cut into 3 wedges · 4 medium carrots, peeled, and cut into 2-inch pieces 14 East Texas Quarterly Directions: Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut brisket to fit into a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle spices from packet evenly over meat; rub in with your fingers. Place cabbage, carrots, onion, and potatoes in the slow cooker. Pour water over vegetables. Top with brisket. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Thinly slice against the grain. Serve vegetables with a slotted spoon. Makes 6 servings. IRISH “BACON” AND CABBAGE Ingredients · 1 gallon water · 3 cups coarse kosher salt · 1 6 1/2-pound bone-in pork shoulder roast (Boston butt), excess fat trimmed · 3 large heads of garlic, halved crosswise · 1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns · 1 large head of green cabbage, cut into 6 wedges · 1 pound carrots, peeled, cut crosswise in half, then quartered lengthwise · Fresh thyme sprigs · Spicy mustard

East Texas Quarterly Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 16