Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day and since I don’t get to go to Butte for the parade, my main way of celebrating this wonderful time is to eat plenty of corn beef and cabbage.
However, since the holiday comes on a Thursday this year, I do not have time to cook my corn beef and cabbage until Friday.
I was trying to think what I love most about that meal? Is it the beef with a brown sugar and mustard sauce for dunk at the table or is it the new potatoes and carrots? Neither I must admit. I like the wonderful green cabbage cooked in that corn beef water. Now there is a taste treat for the ages.
Someone was telling me yesterday that she cooks her corn beef in the oven for a long time. I have thought of doing it that way myself, but in a gentle simmer, I end up with all that wonderful juice to cook my vegetables in so I probably will do it that way once again.
I started eating corn beef and cabbage out at many fishing shacks on Clear Creek. My dad cooked it every St. Patrick’s Day that they could get out to Clear Creek. I expect his father cooked it for St. Patrick’s Day as well.
It was sort of strange because Dad cooked what he called a New England boiled dinner all year long. The only difference between it and corn beef was that the New England boiled dinner contained a chunk of ham rather than the corn beef.
However, at St. Patrick’s Day, there was no ham, just corn beef in that wonderful dinner.
In an old Havre recipe book Grandma Lucke has a recipe for corning beef. It is not complicated but it is not something I am ever going to do. It is much more simple to go buy a four pound corned beef with those little pickling spices to go with.
As I write these words I am getting very hungry. What memories of Clear Creek St. Patrick’s Day and the corn beef and cabbage dinners bring back.
I hope you have some of those wonderful memories for yourself.
In the meantime from me and mine to you and yours, a very happy St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t forget to be wearing the green tomorrow!
