Corned Turkey. It sounds strange, it sounds unnatural, but hey, we corn beef, so it must be possible. Right?
I have it on my list of something I'm going to make "someday" - but for today I cheated and used prepared Turkey Pastrami.
I realize they aren't the same thing. Besides the fact that Pastrami meats are smoked and Corned meats are usually boiled, they also use different spices to impart different flavors (usually you'll find a lot more pepper in the Pastrami) but they are both salt-brined so hey, let's give it a whirl!
Pastrami is pre-cooked so there's no need for an hours long cooking process as you would for Corned Beef, but I didn't want to just slice and serve so here's what I did to "Corn" it up:
St. Patrick's Day "Corned" Turkey Pastrami & Brussel Sprouts
Serves: 2
Jennie-O Turkey Pastrami*
1 bottle of Guinness (11.2 oz)
Brown Sugar
1/2 lb Brussel Sprouts
1 tbsp. 1 Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Butter
salt & pepper
Cut off the woody end of the brussel sprout stems and remove the loose outer leaves. Slice from the head down into thin slivers. Rinse off the sliced sprouts and drain (just to make sure there's no bits of dirt stuck between the leaves).
Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saute pan. Add the brussel sprouts and season with salt & pepper. Cook until the leaves turn bright green and start to wilt - usually about 3-5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour the Guinness into a medium saucepan with about 2 Tbsp of brown sugar. Heat to simmering. Slice the Pastrami (approx. 3-4 slices per person) and add to the Guinness mixture. Cook until just heated through. Serve on a bed of the sauteed brussel sprouts.
Easy Peasy!
*Let me just take a moment to sing the praises of Jennie-O Turkey Pastrami! It can usually be found at Safeway, next to the ham and sausage. Sliced thinly (ah my Mandolin how I love thee!) it makes a killer Reuben sandwich (of which I will post my super easy prep "someday")
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Not Really Corned Beef & Cabbage
St. Patrick's Day - the day when we're all "Irish for a Day". I'm not sure how or when that rule came into effect, but hey, if that means I get to make Corned Beef & Cabbage then so be it!
I've actually got two recipes for you. Today's is the traditional-ish version and tomorrow I'll share one for the nonmammaltarians of the world.
I'd never made Corned Beef & Cabbage before but I knew I didn't want to have a recipe that called for boiling cabbage for hours on end (bleah!) Here's what I came up with:
Traditional-ish Corned Beef & Cabbage
Corned Beef:
- 1 package TJ's Uncured Corned Beef Round Flat - the largest one you can find (mine was 4lbs)
- 2 bottles Guinness (the ones I used were 11.2 oz each)
- Brown Sugar
- Crockpot
Put the Corned Beef (including all the spices) in the crockpot, fat side up. Pat brown sugar onto the Corned Beef (I used about 3/4 of a cup). Pour both bottles of Guinness around the Corned Beef (just up to the top, being careful not to wash away the brown sugar). Cook on low heat for 8hrs.
Pull the Corned Beef out of the pot and set aside until cool enough to handle (hey it shrunk!). Pour the lovely Beefy-Guinnessy goodness through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan. Add approx. 1/2 cup of brown sugar and heat to a roiling boil to let it reduce some*.
Once the Corned Beef is cool enough to handle, rinse off the remaining spices and any fat that is still hanging on (it should slide right off). Slice it on the diagonal and serve on a bed of sauteed cabbage.
* If I'd had more time I would probably have let the sauce boil longer & added some cornstarch to thicken it a little.
Sauteed Cabbage
- 1 head Savoy Cabbage (I like the thinner leaves of the savoy vs a standard green cabbage) - thinly sliced
- 1 large sweet onion - thinly sliced
- diced garlic
- olive oil
- butter
- salt & pepper
Heat the olive oil (enough to coat the pan, about 2 Tbsp) in a large saute pan or dutch oven with about a Tbsp of butter. Add the sliced onion, season with salt & pepper and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the sliced cabbage and diced garlic to the pan and season with salt & pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring and flipping often, until the cabbage is mostly translucent but still has some crunch to it.
Serve with the Corned Beef and don't forget some of the Guinness Sauce!
I've actually got two recipes for you. Today's is the traditional-ish version and tomorrow I'll share one for the nonmammaltarians of the world.
I'd never made Corned Beef & Cabbage before but I knew I didn't want to have a recipe that called for boiling cabbage for hours on end (bleah!) Here's what I came up with:
Traditional-ish Corned Beef & Cabbage
Corned Beef:
- 1 package TJ's Uncured Corned Beef Round Flat - the largest one you can find (mine was 4lbs)
- 2 bottles Guinness (the ones I used were 11.2 oz each)
- Brown Sugar
- Crockpot
Put the Corned Beef (including all the spices) in the crockpot, fat side up. Pat brown sugar onto the Corned Beef (I used about 3/4 of a cup). Pour both bottles of Guinness around the Corned Beef (just up to the top, being careful not to wash away the brown sugar). Cook on low heat for 8hrs.
Pull the Corned Beef out of the pot and set aside until cool enough to handle (hey it shrunk!). Pour the lovely Beefy-Guinnessy goodness through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan. Add approx. 1/2 cup of brown sugar and heat to a roiling boil to let it reduce some*.
Once the Corned Beef is cool enough to handle, rinse off the remaining spices and any fat that is still hanging on (it should slide right off). Slice it on the diagonal and serve on a bed of sauteed cabbage.
* If I'd had more time I would probably have let the sauce boil longer & added some cornstarch to thicken it a little.
Sauteed Cabbage
- 1 head Savoy Cabbage (I like the thinner leaves of the savoy vs a standard green cabbage) - thinly sliced
- 1 large sweet onion - thinly sliced
- diced garlic
- olive oil
- butter
- salt & pepper
Heat the olive oil (enough to coat the pan, about 2 Tbsp) in a large saute pan or dutch oven with about a Tbsp of butter. Add the sliced onion, season with salt & pepper and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the sliced cabbage and diced garlic to the pan and season with salt & pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring and flipping often, until the cabbage is mostly translucent but still has some crunch to it.
Serve with the Corned Beef and don't forget some of the Guinness Sauce!
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