Sláinte! and appreciation for slow cookers and cold storage

St. Patrick's Day always inspires me to cook corned beef and cabbage, fully aware that this is not a traditional Irish meal.  My mother called it New England boiled dinner, and that's probably more appropriate.  Call it what you may, it's a dinner that lends itself well to slow cooking, even with my incredibly slow slow cooker.  According to lore, New Englanders with Irish origins--or not--celebrated the St. Patrick's holiday with what they had on hand: a tough cut of beef that had been preserved with brine, and the last of the winter vegetables.  Onions, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and cabbage can all be kept through the winter in cold storage.  I must have a bit of luck, because I managed to source this entire dinner locally except for the pickling spices.  Thank goodness for local farmers with good cold storage and a plentiful harvest last fall!

My co-op had local carrots from Blue Moon's fall crop, and my "back alley" farmer Greg from Claybank Farms had some beautiful little Yukon Golds and a fat onion.  Cabbage from the co-op tops off the stew.  My slow cooker gets a little kick to pre-heat, and in goes a corned beef brisket (nitrate free!) from Triple S.  The brisket doesn't come with a little convenience pack of pickling spices, so I invent my own from what I can find in the cabinet:  peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves.  I can't find mustard seed, so instead I slather a whole-grain Maille mustard over the top.  I fill up the space with water, then spread sliced onions and chunky carrots over the top.  I'll cook that sweet little brisket for four or five hours, then add the chunky Yukon Golds for the last hour or so.  I'm not a fan of mushy potatoes or cabbage, so I usually sauté the cabbage in some of the broth and serve it with the brisket instead of putting it in the slow cooker.

Now I'm sure you have your own version of this marvelous dinner; some have leeks, parsnips, and a variety of spices.  I enjoy the simple flavors of the meat cooking into the veggies for this meal.  I'll soak up the juices with a loaf of local bakery Pekara's Irish soda bread.  Now, if only Guinness were local!