I'm just enough Irish to keep me lucky by Gina Meyers, Whole Grain Soda Bread, Corned Beef Recipe

 

I've always said that I'm just enough Irish to keep me lucky. As an American, I am a true melting pot of European and Native American goodness. My late Sicilian American grandmother used to call me, Heinz 57 Variety.

I didn't take offense to being called a ketchup, and hopefully you get the point of the analogy.

Thanks to my late Grandfather Harold Hill, not to be confused with lead character Harold Hill from The Music Man, he brought the musicality to my ethnicity.

And here's how I used to say it before everyone got so ethnically sensitive: I'm English, Irish, French Canadian, German and Indian Sioux!

So thank you Grandpa "Chig" for the ketchup. Nickname from the Navy.

Whole Grain Soda Bread

1 Tablespoon of Cornmeal

1 cup of quick-cooking rolled oats

1 ½ cups of buttermilk, divided

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup of whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons of packed light brown sugar

1 Tablespoon of baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons of caraway seeds

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

6 tablespoons of butter or margarine, chilled, cut into pieces.

2 eggs, lightly beaten, divided

1 cup of currants

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle large baking sheet with cornmeal. In a bowl, combine oats with ½ cup of buttermilk; let stand ten minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine all-purpose and whole wheat flours, sugar, baking powder, caraway seeds, baking soda and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs: set aside. Reserve 1 Tablespoon of egg; combine remaining egg with remaining buttermilk (1 cup). Stir into oat mixture; stir in currants. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until stiff dough forms. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Shape dough into round loaf; place on baking sheet. Brush top of dough with remaining egg. With serrated knife, cut an “X” in top of bread, extending cut over sides of loaf down to baking sheet. Let stand in warm place for fifteen minutes. Bake 40-45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Cool slightly on pan on wire rack before serving. 

Mustard-Herb Corned Beef with Cabbage

 

1 teaspoon of olive oil

2 ribs of celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons of dried thyme, divided

1 ½ teaspoons of cracked black pepper, divided

¼ cup of beef broth (substitute whiskey at home)

2 bay leaves

4 pounds of corned beef

1 head cabbage, about 2 pounds, cut into wedges

2 Tablespoons of mustard

1/3 cup of minced fresh parsley

 

Add celery, onion, garlic and 1 Tablespoon of thyme. Cook until onion softens, ten minutes. Add ¼ cup of beef broth, ¼ cup of water, ½ teaspoon of pepper and bay leaves. Simmer, covered, fifteen minutes. Increase heat to high. Add corned beef and enough water to cover meat by 1”. Cover; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, skimming fat, 3-3 ½ hours. Remove meat from pot: set aside. Over high heat, bring liquid in pot to a boil. Add cabbage; reduce heat to low. Simmer until cabbage is tender, 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, position oven rack 6” from heat source; preheat broiler. In bowl mix mustard with remaining beef broth; set aside. Combine parsley with remaining thyme and pepper. Trim fat from meat. Spread mustard mixture over meat; sprinkle with parsley mixture. Transfer to rack set in broiler pan; broil until browned, 2-3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove cabbage from pot, serve with the meat. http://www.ginameyers.com