It is a cold windy, March day and everyone is going to want a good hearty meal after being out in all that weather; so what is for dinner with the whole gang, the kids, the grandkids and some friends as well arriving around meal time on this sunny but cold and windy Saint Patrick's Day; how about a New England Boiled Dinner? It covers all the bases and makes for one delicious meal. It is also a tradition, corned beef and cabbage, sort of like that “pot of gold”, cuisine style and even if you aren't Irish, it's a great meal.
I've been enjoying these wonderful dinners since I was a kid, looked forward to them. There seems to be something magical in that pot when you combine all those delicious ingredients and bring it to a slow boil until it is all tender and nicely flavored. It is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.
I've heard several stories about how this dinner came to be tradition. It all began back in the early years of America with the Irish settlers and the rest of the neighborhood picked up on it. By Saint Patrick's Day, the middle of March, the food you stored last fall for the winter season and early spring, until new crops could be grown again was getting pretty well depleted, not a whole lot left in the old root cellar; then here comes Saint Patrick's Day, both a religious and secular holiday that is celebrated with much fanfare and lots of food. Food, it is the American way to celebrate just about everything. So what do you do? You go to the root cellar, gather a little of this and a little of that of whatever is left, grab a slab of beef from the smoke house and put it all in the pot to simmer. Folks cooked that way a lot back then, throw it all in the pot and let it simmer.
You don't go to the root cellar so often these days, you go to the supermarket but the fixing of this meal is pretty much the same and you don't have to necessarily wait for it to be Saint Patrick's Day to enjoy it. It is just as good any time of year but it is tradition when it comes to Saint Patrick's Day, at least around here, Corned Beef and Cabbage with all the fixings and the fixings turn it into a New England Boiled Dinner.
There are several variations to this wonderful meal but traditionally it is made from corned beef and cabbage and other vegetables added to the pot. You put it all together in one big pot, bring it to a full boil and then reduce the heat a little to let it all simmer until done.
The New England Boiled dinner, though usually made with corned beef is also made with ham, usually the smoked shoulder. I prefer to use beef. I personally like it better and think the beef makes a better “pot liquor” to be used to make a sauce and any extra as stock for other recipes.
Although the New England Boiled Dinner is not truly of Irish heritage, the Irish did bring with them the recipe for a dish made with cabbage and meat and that recipe seems to be the base for this one that has simply been Americanized like other foods we enjoy, especially here in the New England corner of the world and has become a traditional meal to be served on Saint Patrick's Day, as traditional and Turkey and Thanksgiving.
In Canada, particularly in the New Foundland and east coast region, this meal, when prepared with ham, is called “Jiggs Dinner,” and I am not sure how it got its name but it is basically the same recipe, same dinner prepared in the same manner.
You are going to need a fairly large pot to prepare your hearty and flavorful boiled dinner, a one to two gallon pot, depending on the number of folks you are cooking for. To make this meal you will need corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, parsnips, turnip and beets. You can guesstimate the amounts by the number of people you plan to serve; the more people, the bigger the pot and more of the ingredients you will need. Big or small, it is going to be a tongue tantalizing, lip smacking, tummy teasing treat.
To make your New England Boiled Dinner, heat your pot to hot and seer the slab of corned beef on both sides to seal in the flavor. Cover with about two quarts of water, depending on how much you are cooking. Now add your potatoes, onions, carrots, parsnips, turnip and beets, all in good sized chunks or if small leave them whole. Be sure they are all covered in water to about ½ inch. Bring to a full boil and reduce heat to a steady simmer. When your vegetables are just starting to tender then add your cabbage cut into serving size wedges. You may need to add just a little more boiling water to prevent your meal from cooking down and scorching at this point, probably no more than a cup or cup and a half. Cover and let steam at a slow simmer until the cabbage is cooked to just tender, don't over cook your vegetables. The leaves of the cabbage should be wilted and have a slight transparent appearance. This should take about ten to fifteen minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for five to seven minutes. Remove the meat to a large serving platter, placing the meat in the center and the vegetables arranged attractively around it. Garnish with a few pieces of fresh parsley. Now take 2 to 3 cups of the broth (pot liquor), add just a pinch of ground ginger or ground allspice if you don't care for ginger but ginger is best in my opinion, a dash of salt and fresh ground black pepper and bring to a full simmer, reduce heat to low and thicken slightly with cornstarch and you have a delicious pot liquor gravy to serve over your beef and vegetables.
As a side note to my own recipe; I have made this dinner and had it come out wonderfully by exchanging the cabbage for brussel sprouts, especially if I am just making a small dinner for a couple friends and myself.
Save any pot liquor not used to make your gravy to use as meat and vegetable stock for making soups or stews on another day. This broth is rich in vitamins so don't throw it out. You can freeze it to use at another time.
This is a hearty and wonderful meal and any left overs can be reheated in a little stock the next day or used in another of my favorite recipes, “New England Red Flannel Hash,” made by chopping up the left over meat and vegetables, medium fine and re-heating them in a skillet with just a little butter or margarine and a little of the left over pot liquor.
Go ahead, celebrate the Irish and Saint Patrick and have a wonderful Saint Patrick's Day Feast with a traditional New England Boiled Dinner. Saint Patrick would be proud to sit down at your table.
