[caption id="attachment_81601" align="aligncenter" width="212"] St Patricks Day: corned beef and cabbage recipes[/caption]Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipes

Each year, over 3 million pints of Guinness are consumed on St. Patrick's Day. Some of that beer ends up in unique recipes for the traditional corned beef and cabbage. However, the Irish didn't actual use corned beef in their recipe. Ham was used in Ireland, but when immigrants came to America the cost of ham was too much. Jewish immigrants introduced the Irish to corned beef and to this day, Americans still celebrate St. Patrick's day with beer, corned beef and cabbage. Try these authentic and easy to prepare recipe to enjoy your own St. Paddy's Day feast.

Basic Traditional Recipe

ngredients:
2 celery stalks (cut into 3-inch pieces)
3 carrots (cut into 3-inch pieces)
1 yellow onion (small, cut into 1-inch wedges, root end left intact)
1/2 lb potatoes (small, halved if large)
6 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 beef brisket (corned, about 3 pounds, plus pickling spice packet or 1 tablespoon pickling spice)
1/2 head savoy cabbage (cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges)
mustard (Grainy, for serving)

Place four pounds of corned beef into a slow cooker pot. Add one pound of carrots cut into 1/4-inch segments and 1 pound of potatoes quartered. Cut a leek into 1/4-inch segments and add it to the pot. Include a head of cabbage, whole pepper kernels, and a vegetable bullion cube to add additional flavor to the pot. Add enough hot water to cover the meat by at least one inch, cover and cook on high for seven to eight hours. When you can easily stick a fork through the potatoes, drain the liquid and serve. For additional flavor, you can add two to four tablespoons of butter and salt to taste. Serve the dinner by adding additional salt and pepper to the plated dish. Serve the dish with Irish soda bread.

Experimentation With Recipes

You can take the basic corned beef and cabbage recipe and add additional spices such as basil, parsley and rutabaga. If you need to prepare the dish quickly, throw all of the ingredients into a large pot with the corned beef, ham or bacon at the bottom. Add water until all of the ingredients are completely covered. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until the meat has cooked through. Typically, it takes 20 to 40 minutes to cook the meat thoroughly.

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References:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/03/14/saint-patricks-day-traditions/6297821/
http://lancasteronline.com/entertainment/corned-beef-and-cabbage-for-st-pat-s-think-again/article_2ed839e4-a94c-11e3-9501-0017a43b2370.html