Recipe: Corned Beef and Cabbage

What would St. Patrick's Day be without corned beef and cabbage? In our house this is made year round. The corned beef paninis with Swiss cheese are much enjoyed the following day- so make sure you have enough.

3-4 pounds corned beef (flat cut is best)

1 bay leaf

1 head of garlic, cloves peeled but left whole

10 peppercorns

Pinch of each: nutmeg and cinnamon

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced in half

Place the corned beef in a large stock pot. Cover with water. Add in the rest of the above ingredients. The package of spices that usually come with the brisket, throw away.

Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow smmer, leaving the lid on the pot. I like to turn th ebrisket every half an hour. Let simmer for 2 1/2 hours. You know the brisket is done, when you can pierce the beef easily with a knife.

Remove the bristket from the pot and place in a baking dish. Place it in a preheated oven set at 300 * for another 15 minutes or so. Slice it across the grain and serve.

When I remove the brisket from the water, I put the cabbage in the corned beef water to cook. Just slice a head into quarters and let cook for the 15 minutes while the beef is in the oven. Serve hot.