From A Past Edition Of The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Corned Beef and Cabbage Corned beef is brisket that's been "corned" with seasonings and brine for several weeks. Trust me: it is not worth attempting to corn beef yourself. Buy a nice one at the store and just boil it. I do have a trick for you, however: add crab boil to the mixture. It will not taste like crabs or be noticeably spicy--just good. The cabbage component will be better if it's boiled it all by itself. Also, you need some salt in the water for the cabbage, but the corned beef will get tough if you cook it with salt. Now, my favorite corned beef story. When the late Chef Jamie Shannon was chosen to succeed Emeril Lagasse as executive chef at Commander's Palace, Dick Brennan, Sr.--one of the owners of the restaurant--told him, "Just make sure the corned beef is tender on St. Patrick's Day." Corned beef was served only on that day at Commander's, whose culinary ambitions were quite a bit higher. Jamie shrugged that off as a joke. Later in the day he encountered Dick's brother John Brennan. John congratulated Jamie, then added only this advice: "Okay, young fella. Make sure the corned beef is tender on St. Patrick's Day." The Brennans have ever been proud of being Irish. 1 corned beef brisket, about 4 lbs. 1 Tbs. black peppercorns 1 tsp. marjoram 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds 1 medium onion, quartered 2 Tbs. liquid crab boil 1 head green cabbage, quartered 2 Tbs. salt 1. Wash the seasonings that were in the vacuum-pack bag off the corned beef, and put it in a large pot of cold water. 2. Put the seasonings, the crab boil, and the onion into the pot. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower to the barest possible simmer. Simmer with the cover on for three and a half hours. 3. Boil the cabbage separately in about two gallons of water with 2 Tbs. salt. 4. When the corned beef is cooked, drain it from the water and let it stand for about 20 minutes. Slice it against the grain, noting that the grain in brisket has a way of changing directions as you slice it. The thinner you slice it, the better. Serve with Creole mustard on the side. Serves four to six. Click here for an index of recipes from past editions. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com