St. Patrick’s Day – Rants Raves and Recipes

March 30, 2016June 17, 2016

Open- Faced Irish Reuben Sandwich

Open-faced Irish Reuben Sandwich

My favorite thing about St. Patrick’s Day is left-overs, and my favorite left-over is an open-faced Irish Reuben sandwich. I started making my Rubens open-faced years ago, they are slightly less messy and I did like that you could put more “stuff” on it when you eat with a fork.

I assume everyone knows the standard fare for a Reuben, Rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, and Russian or thousands island dressing and Swiss cheese. My version uses more beef and sauerkraut, more Russian dressing and cheese and since it’s a left over I always make sure I have plenty of soda bread to go with it.

The one “trick” to this recipe is to let the corned beef chill, it is so much easier to slice thinly when cold.

Ingredients for Open-faced Irish Reuben Sandwich

Chilled corned beef thinly sliced.
3-4 thin slice of Swiss per sandwich ( Kerry Irish Swiss is great)
Russian or Thousand Island dressing
Sauerkraut (with or without caraway seeds).
Medium thick slice of Irish Soda Bread
1-2 Tbs softened butter per sandwich
1+ cups heated beef stock or stock from cooked corned beef

Directions for Open-faced Irish Reuben Sandwich

Like all recipes, other than for certain sauces and baking, there is no wrong or right way to do it. The order in which you stack and the amount you stack are up to you.

Take the stock and place it in a pot and bring it up to a simmer. Slice the corned beef against the grain as thinly as you can and place in the stock to slightly heat up.

In a separate pot gently heat up the Sauerkraut.

Butter one side of the Soda Bread and spread a generous layer of dressing on the other side and place butter side down in a sauté pan or frying pan, that has a lid and is on medium heat.

Layer the Swiss slices over the dressing, remove the corned beef from the stock drain and pat dry and layer on top of the cheese. Now drain and layer the sauerkraut on top of the beef. You can finish with more dressing and cheese if you wish. Cover the pan and allow the cheese to melt and the buttered side of the bread to come to a golden brown. Plate and serve.

The Scott’s-Irish in me also uses the left over potatoes, from the St. Patrick’s Day meal, to make a dill potato salad to go with it ( http://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/category/recipes/salads/dill-potato-salad/ ).

Here are a few items to help make this recipe:
http://amzn.to/1M0yDkU Henckel Bread Knife
http://amzn.to/1RyxEVW Henckel carving Set

Skip the sauerkraut and bring on the beef!

Yum

Opened- Faced Irish Rueben Sandwich

Ingredients

Chilled corned beef thinly sliced.
3-4 thin slice of Swiss per sandwich ( Kerry Irish Swiss is great)
Russian or Thousand Island dressing
Sauerkraut (with or without caraway seeds).
Medium thick slice of Irish Soda Bread
1-2 Tbs softened butter per sandwich
1+ cups heated beef stock or stock from cooked corned beef

Instructions

Like all recipes other than for certain sauces and baking there is no wrong or right way to do it. The order in which you stack and the amount you stack are up to you.
Take the stock and place it in a pot and bring it up to a simmer. Slice the corned beef against the grain as thinly as you can and place in the stock to slightly heat up.
In a separate pot gently heat up the Sauerkraut.
Butter one side of the Soda Bread and spread a generous layer of dressing on the other side and place butter side down in a saute pan or frying pan that has a lid and is on medium heat.
Layer the Swiss slices over the dressing, remove the corned beef from the stock drain and pat dry and layer on top of the cheese. Now drain and layer the sauerkraut on top of the beef. You can finish with more dressing and cheese if you wish. Cover the pan and allow the cheese to melt and the buttered side of the bread to come to a golden brown. Plate and serve.
The Scott's-Irish in me also uses the left over potatoes to make a dill potate salad to go with it ( http://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/category/recipes/salads/dill-potato-salad/ ).

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March 22, 2016June 17, 2016

Guinness Corned Beef

Guinness Corned Beef or corned beef braised in Guinness Stout, is an alternative to boiled in water corned beef. It does add an extra layer of flavor and an extra layer of cost, but is probably worth it.

I’m not a big fan of St. Patrick’s Day, any holiday that is nothing but an excuse to over imbibe in my view is a waste of time, but once a year the food side of it does appeal to me.

If done in stages you will get a tasty meal with properly done vegetables. So take the time and use the extra pot to cook everything right.

In the more traditional recipe the vegetables are dumped into the same pot as the corned beef and over cooked, leaving you with very soft carrots, mushy potatoes and cabbage.

Using two pots or a slow cooker for the corned beef and a pot for the vegetables gives you more control over the doneness of each of the dishes.

Ingredients for Guinness Corned Beef

1 Corned Beef, patted dry
2 bottles Guinness Stout
3-4 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 medium onion peeled cut in half
6-8 garlic cloves peeled, left whole,but crushed slightly
1 spice packet or 1 Tbsp pickling spices
1 head white cabbage stem left on cut into quarters
4-6 carrots peeled halved and cut into 1″ pieces
red potatoes cut into quarters

Directions for Guinness Corned Beef

In a slow cooker pour the stout and the brown sugar. Whisk to dissolve the sugar. Place the medium onion and the garlic cloves into the pot. Place the corned beef in fat side up. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours until the beef is fork tender and has reached an internal temperature of at least 145º. If the beef is not completely covered turn about half way through the cooking process.

Once done remove from the pot and let it rest a few minutes. Slice thinly against the grain of the meat.

The Vegetables:

In a pot that will be large enough to accommodate all the vegetables, place the cabbage into the pot spoon in about a cup of the stout stock and cover with either beef stock or water. Bring up to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from the stock when the cabbage begins to soften. Depending on how you like your cabbage it is either now done or you can continue to cook. Place the potatoes and carrots into the stock and if you are going to continue to cook the cabbage place it on top bring the stock up to a boil and cover and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until a knife pierces the vegetables easily. Remove the Cabbage cut the stems off and place into a serving bowl either whole or cut in half.

Strain the potatoes and carrots into a separate bowl and serve.

You can serve the corned beef with a little of the stock strained into a gravy boat, and with spicy mustard or horseradish sauce.

An additional option is to create a roux with 2 tbsp’s of butter and flour and slowly add some of the cooking liquid= about 1½ to 2 cups bring up to a boil and thicken and serve.

Here are a few items to help make this recipe:
http://www.amazon.com/Creuset-Signature-Enameled-Cast-Iron-2-Quart/dp/B0076NOGPY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1458676121&sr=1-4&keywords=le+creuset&linkCode=ll1&tag=rantsravesa06-20&linkId=96159b59b64fd7761f90e41aca7656fa
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MSC-600-Central-6-Quart-Multi-Cooker/dp/B008YEXC22/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1458676190&sr=8-8&keywords=slow+cooker&linkCode=ll1&tag=rantsravesa06-20&linkId=e2b4bdba324179094260190d59f01959

Corned Beef brings out my Celtic solidarity for my slightly backward cousins the Setters and my noble Bro’s the wolf hounds, keep it coming and I’ll Arroo “Oh Danny Boy” all night.

Yum

Guinness Corned Beef

Ingredients

1 Corned Beef, patted dry
2 bottles Guinnes Stout
3-4 Tbls dark brown sugar
1 medium onion peeled cut in half
6-8 garlic cloves peeled, left whole,but crushed slightly
1 spice packet or 1 Tbsp pickling spices
1 head white cabbage stem left on cut into quarters
4-6 carrots peeled halved and cut into 1" pieces
red potatoes cut into quarters

Instructions

In a slow cooker pour the stout and the brown sugar. Whisk to dissolve the sugar. Place the medium onion and the garlic cloves into the pot. Place the corned beef in fat side up. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours until the beef is fork tender and has reached an internal temperature of at least 145º. If the beef is not completely covered turn about half way through the cooking process.
Once done remove from the pot and let it rest a few minutes. Slice thinly against the grain of the meat.
The Vegetables:
In a pot that will be large enough to accomadate all the vegetables, place the cabbage into the pot spoon in about a cup of the stout stock and cover with either beef stock or water. Bring up to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from the stock when the cabbage begins to soften. Depending on how you like your cabbage it is either now done or you can continue to cook. Place the potatoes and carrots into the stock and if you are going to continue to cooke the cabbage place it on top bring the stock up to aboil and cover and cook for 10- 15 minutes until a knife pierces the vegetables easily. Remove the Cabbage cut the stems off and place into a serving bowl either whole or cut in half.
Strain the potatoes and carrots into a separate bowl and serve.
You can serve the corned beef with a little of the stock strained into a gravy boat, and with spicy mustard or horseradish sauce.
An additional option is to create a roux with 2 tbsp's of butter and flour and slowly add some of the cooking liquid= about 1½ to 2 cups bring up to a boil and thicken and serve.

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February 27, 2013March 17, 2016

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

The most traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe is simply Soft Wheat Flour, a little baking soda ,a little salt, and buttermilk. Soft wheat has less gluten which made it easier to mill than hard wheat. In this recipe we used Swans Down Cake Flour, which is soft winter wheat. However all purpose flour will just fine. Raisins are an option and are not traditional.

Ingredients for Traditional Irish Soda Bread:

4 cups soft Wheat Flour
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp salt

Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl add the buttermilk and mix until the flour not visible. If dough very dry add more buttermilk and if too wet add a little more flour. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Place onto a lightly greased sheet pan or on to a silpat or into a lightly greased cake pan. Cut a cross into the top about an inch and a half deep ( this helps the center bake). Bake at 425° for about 25 minutes then lower the temperature to 400° and bake for an additional 20 minutes. The bread will be done when it gives a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. If the bread begins to brown too much, cover loosely with foil. When baked remove to a wire rack to cool. Can be sliced warm.

Here’s something to help with this recipe:
Swans Down Regular Cake Flour, 32-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 8)
Silicone Baking Mat Set (2 pk.) Non Stick Surface
Saco Cultured Buttermilk Blend, 16-Ounce Canister (Pack of 3)

Irish Soda Bread

2014-03-07 16:39:00

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Ingredients

4 cups soft Wheat Flour
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl add the buttermilk and mix until the flour not visible. If dough very dry add more buttermilk and if too wet add a little more flour. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Place onto a lightly greased sheet pan or on to a silpat or into a lightly greased cake pan. Cut a cross into the top about an inch and a half deep ( this helps the center bake). Bake at 425° for about 25 minutes then lower the temperature to 400° and bake for an additional 20 minutes. The bread will be done when it gives a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. If the bread begins to brown too much, cover loosely with foil. When baked remove to a wire rack to cool. Can be sliced warm.

Notes

Traditional Soda Bread has no extra ingredients, but if you'd like add currents or raisins or nuts or anything else that would go great in a bread- don't worry you WON"T be attacked by Leprechauns if you do!

Rants Raves and Recipes https://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/

If you enjoy our site and are thinking of purchasing anything from Amazon, please use the link to Amazon from our site. It doesn’t cost you anything and we profit from the ads and purchases .

Please help us keep our blog going by letting your friends know we’re here and by checking out the links on our front page.