Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Corned Beef

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So we have a little less than a month to plan the St. Patrick’s Day meal.  Do you do anything special for it?  I typically do the standard Corned Beef and Cabbage.  I’m actually thinking I want to change it up a little.  Do something that has some pizzazz or that little something that makes your mouth sing!

Here’s the recipe I’m leaning towards.  What are you planning to make?

Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Corned Beef

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 pound deli sliced corned beef, cut into thin strips
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3/4 C chicken broth or water
• 1/4 C red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Gulden’s or Grey Poupon
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 bags angel hair cabbage
• 2 C shredded carrots
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter into the olive oil and get the fat hot.  Add the corned beef and onion sautéing until caramelized.  Add the chicken broth, vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar.  Stir to combine.

Add the cabbage and carrots, stirring to coat the veggies and mix with the meat.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender.  Stir occasionally.  Check at the 10 to 15 minute mark to see if you need to add more broth or water.  Taste for seasonings and adjust to your liking.

I’ll be making my cheddar cheese biscuits to go with this.

Guinness Stout Beef Stew

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I saw a recipe for Irish Beef Stew out on Mandy’s website in January that I knew I was going to have to try.  Well, today was the day although I used her recipe merely for inspiration.  Part of the issue is that I didn’t have all the ingredients she listed on hand.  The other thing I wanted was to let my oven do the work for me 3 hour cooking time.

Oh, I should confess to that I’ve taken a semi-homemade route here too.  Since I just wanted to dump everything into the oven (or you could even use your crockpot), I am using instant potatoes as a thickener.  This is a trick I learned from one of the Food Network chefs although I don’t remember which one now – it’s been too many years!

Next time I make this I’ll do it more like Mandy’s even though I like the way this one turned out.  It had a great flavor and multiple layers of it even though I did not brown the meat or par-cook any of the veggies.  I want to do this on a day when I can give the dish the same attention Mandy did – I wonder if we’d like her version better.

Tasha’s friend Morganne stayed over last night.  She really enjoyed the stew and is taking home leftovers for herself and Jesse.  I love it when she likes things so much she wants to take the home for several meals/lunches!  The true test of whether or not this recipe is a hit is whether or not Tasha will take some in for her co-worker Ivan.  Ivan’s a big fan of my cooking because Tasha brings him all my best dishes!

Guinness Stout Beef Stew

• 2 lb beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 C dried, minced onion
• 1/4 C dried, sliced garlic (I get mine from Costco)
• 2 Tbsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 2 Tbsp garlic salt with parsley
• 1 1/4 lb baby carrots, cut in half
• 2 lb baby red potatoes, quartered
• 1 can Guinness Stout beer
• 1 C red wine
• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 24 oz beef broth
• 15 oz chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp Better than Bouillon beef base
• 2 pouches Idahoan Garlic Mashed Potatoes, for thickening in the last hour

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large Dutch oven, pour all ingredients except the instant potatoes.  Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 2 hours.  Remove from oven, stir, and taste for seasonings.  Adjust as desired.  Stir in 2 pouches of the Garlic Mashed Potatoes. 

Turn oven up to 400.  Return to the pan to the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!