Corned Beef with Parsley Sauce. This is the meal I have been waiting for 21 years to enjoy! Its true. Corned beef was not something which was readily available in the UK.
Oh you could get salt beef, which is similar, but not the same. You could also get corned beef in the tin, which is nothing like this at all. And all of that came from South America. Nice in a sandwich or hash, but not for dinner on Saint Patricks' Day!
My appetite for Corned Beef was whetted when I first saw the movie Meet Me in Saint Louis with Judy Garland. In those first few scenes of the film they were sitting down to dinner and the cook brought in a large platter with corned beef on it.
It looked delicious, even in black and white.
It is something which I used to cook occasionally for my family when the children were growing up. Generally speaking I glazed the corned beef with a glaze after cooking. This is really easy to do if you wish to do the same.
Simply trim off the fatty layer, leaving only a thin layer of fat. Mix together 4 tablespoons of brown sugar with a tablespoon of mustard and a tablespoon of sweet pickle liquid. Spread this mixture over the fatty top of the beef and pop it into a hot oven.
Roast for about 8 to 10 minutes until glazed and sticky. Delicious!
I did not bother to do this today as I was serving the meat with a lush and creamy parsley sauce. A sticky glaze would have been well out of place.
This is such a simple meal to make, but I know very pricey these days. I paid $16 for this small piece of corned beef. But I was longing for it so much I couldn't resist.
If you have a large family and are still wanting something similar for Saint Patrick's day can I suggest the following:
BOILED DINNER - You can use ham or beef. With cabbage, carrots, turnips and potatoes. This also boasted a parsley sauce.
BACON AND CABBAGE WITH MUSTARD SAUCE - cured pork simmered until tender and then roasted with a delicious buttery bread crumb topping. This is served with a lush and cream mustard sauce, cabbage and buttered boiled potatoes. Delicious.
Or you can do just a plain old boiled corned beef and cabbage. There are many ways to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day with a delicious meal.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CORNED BEEF WITH PARSLEY SAUCE
Simple ingredients. Nothing outrageous here.
- 2 lb. (1 KG) corned beef, preferably bottom round or brisket
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 TBS butter
- 2 TBS white flour
- 3/4 cup (75ml) milk
- 2 tsp minced fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder
- pinch nutmeg
- salt and ground white pepper
HOW TO MAKE CORNED BEEF WITH PARSLEY SAUCE
It might take a bit of time to cook the beef until tender, but you can just walk away and leave it to simmer so its not very labor intensive at all.
If you can make a cream sauce then you can very easily make this simple parsley sauce and I highly recommend making it as it is delicious with the beef.
Place the carrots and most of the onion (reserve 1 TBS) into a saucepan large enough to hold the beef. Rinse the beef and place into the saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer. Skim off and discard any scum which rises to the top.
Cover tightly and simmer over low heat for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender. Remove the meat to a plate and cover with foil. Remove 3/4 cup (75ml) of the cooking liquid and discard the rest.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once it begins to foam add the onion. Cook for a minute. Whisk in the flour and mustard powder. Cook for a minute longer.
Slowly Whisk in the milk, parsley, and cooking liquor. Cook whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook for several minutes to cook out any flour taste. Serve the corned beef thinly sliced with the sauce spooned over top.
I served this very simply with some Irish Champ on the side, mashed carrots/parsnips and buttered broccoli.
You can find my traditional Irish Champ recipe here. Its fabulous.
To make the mashed carrots and parsnips, combine 4 carrots, peeled and sliced with 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced in a saucepan. Cover with water to which you have added a pinch of sugar and some salt.
Boil until very tender. (about 15 minutes) Drain well and mash together with a knob of butter, salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Delicious!
This was a really delicious meal. Well worth waiting 21 years for. I am really looking forward to enjoying some tasty corned beef hash with the leftovers!
And after that it is back to chicken and fish for me. I hardly ever eat red meat and rarely processed so I reckon I have really outdone myself this week! Happy Saint Patrick's Day tomorrow everyone!
Corned Beef With Parsley Sauce
Yield: 4
Author: Marie Rayner
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 2 H & 30 MTotal time: 2 H & 40 M
The meal I waited 21 years to enjoy. Tender pieces of corned beef with a delicate parsley sauce. Delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 lb. (1 KG) corned beef, preferably bottom round or brisket
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 TBS butter
- 2 TBS white flour
- 3/4 cup (75ml) milk
- 2 tsp minced fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder
- pinch nutmeg
- salt and ground white pepper
Instructions
- Place the carrots and most of the onion (reserve 1 TBS) into a saucepan large enough to hold the beef. Rinse the beef and place into the saucepan. Cover with cold water.
- Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer. Skim off and discard any scum which rises to the top. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender.
- Remove the meat to a plate and cover with foil.
- Remove 3/4 cup (75ml) of the cooking liquid and discard the rest.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once it begins to foam add the onion. Cook for a minute. Whisk in the flour and mustard powder. Cook for a minute longer.
- Slowly Whisk in the milk, parsley, and cooking liquor. Cook whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes to cook out any flour taste.
- Serve the corned beef thinly sliced with the sauce spooned over top.
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