Day 68 - Yum - Corned Beef & Cabbage

I am of Irish heritage, and it occurred to me today, that we as a people are not renown for our culinary skills when  compared with other cultures. The Italians are superb with their delights such as lasagna, spaghetti, manicotti, and so many kinds of sauces and pastas that it would take forever to sample all of them. And the French, well they have Julia Child promoting them, and their sauces and exquisite pastries. Even Asian cultures have enough of a distinctive collection of culinary delights to open restaurants dedicated solely to their recipes. But the Irish, not so much. Sure there are plenty of Irish pubs, but between you and me, I think the emphasis has always been more on the pints and the whiskeys than it has been on the menus. However, there is one meal that the Irish do well, corned beef and cabbage. It has to be simmered slowly, loaded with pickling spices and the veggies must be cooked in the same pot as the meat so they have time to absorb some of the flavor. I do like a good corned beef, and today hubby and I went to a local pub and I totally enjoyed the huge plate of perfectly cooked corned beef and cabbage served with non-mushy carrots and potatoes that still had the skin on them. I relished every single bite. This pub makes the absolute best Reuben, but only serve corned beef and cabbage on 2 days. They serve it on a a pre-St.Paddy's Day celebration, which was today, and then again on Saint Patrick's Day. We went today so as to avoid the more boisterous crowd that tends to show up on the Day itself. I have to praise the Irish, they may not have an extensive menu, but what they do have is outstanding! And not for nothing, I need to give a shout out to Irish coffee, which when it is made well - just a wee bit of heaven.