Buffalo Brisket for St. PATRICK'S DAY

St. PATRICK'S DAY has always been an important day for me as my father was Irish through and through. Well since we stopped eating beef, that left out corned beef also. That just wasn't acceptable, so here's my solution.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Lb. Buffalo Brisket

1-3/4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1 shallot

1 clove of garlic

1 rib of celery

1 tsp dried basil

black pepper to taste

3/4 cup red wine

1 Tbsp extra virgin Olive oil

PREPARATION:

Wash the brisket, pat dry and set aside. Peel the garlic and shallot, leaving them whole. Wash the celery rib, trimming and cut into 3rds.

COOKING:

Set a Dutch oven over medium heat, when warm to the touch, add the olive oil. Sear the brisket on all sides; then sauté the shallot, garlic and celery. Add the red wine and chicken broth, Basil and pepper. Braise the brisket simmering for 3 hours adding more broth if necessary.

            Serve with prepared horseradish and garnish with parsley sprigs

For St. PATRICK'S DAY

Additional INGREDIENTS:

1 small head of cabbage

3 carrots

6 small potatoes

1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock

4 oz. salt pork

PREPARATION:

Peel the outer leaves, wash and cut the cabbage in 4ths. Peel and wash the potatoes and carrots. Leave the potatoes whole, but cut the carrots in thirds. Score the rind of the pork.

COOKING:

Set a pot over medium heat, add 1 cup of chicken stock, the salt pork and ½ cup of the stock from the brisket. Bring to a gentle boil and add the vegetables. Add more broth or water to cover the vegetables. Simmer covered, until the potatoes and carrots are fork tender, about 20-30 min.

Golomki (Cabbage Rolls or Golabki) AKA "Pigs in a Blanket"

A family tradition for as long as I can remember has been Golomkis. In a "word" cabbage rolls. They are a traditional Polish dish and many other countries have variations on them… for instance the Croatians make almost the identical thing, but call them Halupkies.

  The Golomki has been traditionally served as part of a holiday meal, but we often enjoy them on no special occasion at all. Some recipes call for a tomato based sauce, however my grandparents emigrated from Poland and this is how they did it.

INGREDIENTS:  

1 lb. ground pork or chicken
1 large shallot

1 cup cooked rice (Minute)
1 Tbsp chopped dry parsley

½ tsp ground savory

1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

1 medium head cabbage
4 oz. salt pork

parsley sprigs for garnish

PREPARATION:

Cook the rice according to directions. Mix the first seven ingredients together with your hands in a bowl and set aside.

Remove the core from the cabbage. Put the cabbage in a dutch oven, cover with water and bring to a boil with the pan covered. Simmer 'till the leaves are softened and pliable;  remove the leaves one by one as they soften. When you have 4 or 5 removed, you can start filling them. You'll need 15 to 20 leaves. Leave the head in the simmering water.

Toughen the soft leaves in cold water. Carefully slice off the thickest part of the thick central vein.

Place about 4 Tbsp. of the meat mixture near the core end of a cabbage leaf. Form an oval with the filling. Tuck the sides of the leafs and roll them into tight rolls. Continue removing the leaves from the water adding the filling and rolling until the fillings' all used up.

Put the meat filled rolls in a large dutch oven, add the salt pork and cover with water*. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours.

* Alternately the water from boiling the cabbage may be used for additional flavor.

For a Complete BOILED DINNER

  1 lb. container of Sauer Kraut.

   Peel and wash 3 carrots cutting into 3 pieces each.

   Peel and wash 4 medium potatoes and cut in half.

Skip the last sentence above, instead, place the Sauer kraut undrained in the bottom of a Dutch oven. Arrange the cabbage rolls on the kraut and add the salt pork. Gently add water* to the pot until the rolls are covered; Cover the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for an hour.

After the first hour, add the potatoes and carrots to the pot. Allow the water to start a gentle boil and simmer for another hour.

Scoop out the vegetables and arrange in a serving dish. Gently lift the cabbage rolls with a slotted spoon and arrange on a platter. Garnish with parsley sprigs. Using the slotted spoon, remove the Sauer Kraut to a separate serving dish and present everything to the table.

Sautéed Cabbage with Bacon

Here’s a twist on an old family favorite, adding bacon spiced up this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

8 slices of fully cooked bacon

1/2 small head red cabbage

2 stalks celery

1 shallot

3/4 cup water

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp butter

¼ cup bread crumbs - Italian

2 Tbsp olive oil

PREPARATION:

Cut up bacon. Wash cabbage remove the core and chop. Peel and mince the shallot. Wash and dice the celery. Mix the wine vinegar and mater.

COOKING:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat a large skillet, add 2 Tbsp olive oil; continue heating. Add cabbage and celery. Sauté for a couple of minutes to coat with oil.  Add the bacon. Sauté until cabbage begins to wilt (about 10 minutes total).

Add shallot, stir to combine, Sauté 2-3 more minutes. Add the red wine vinegar\water. Bring to boil, continue stirring. Reduce heat back to medium and allow some liquid to evaporate. Cook for 10 more minutes to desired tenderness of the cabbage.

Season with pepper. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs, place pats of butter on top. Bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Serve warm.

Alternatives:

1. Fresh bacon: Place the bacon pieces in large skillet over medium heat, sauté until crisp brown. Remove with slotted spoon to paper towel to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of grease then add the cabbage etc. without the olive oil.
2. Use small heads of red and green cabbage, but use only ½ of each. The dish won’t be as sweet, but its appearance is more interesting.

Adapted from a recipe on: RecipeTips.com