An Homage to Mom

My mother was a YANKEE from the top of her head to her toe tips. Her identity showed in ever so many ways. She was frugal to the point of being penurious at times. Having lived through two world wars and The Great Depression she knew the importance of every penny and how hard they were to come by. She was recycling and repurposing long before such practices were in vogue.

She was also an excellent cook who knew how to prepare a satisfying, nutritious meal for her three always-hungry children One of my favorites was her New England Boiled Dinner. I think she thought of this as a work-a-day meal that would provide good leftovers, but to me it was a tremendous treat. The meat was juicy and tender and the vegetables tasted of the broth in which they had been cooked. Savory with just the right amount of salt and pepper. This meal was one that I looked forward to. Now, the memory of it is colored by my adult awareness of how hard she worked to create a home that was safe and secure for her family. The taste of her boiled dinner is flavored by her love which she often found difficult to express in other ways.

Every year around St. Patrick's Day, the markets are filled with corned beef briskets. This year as I looked at them, I decided that we should have an old-fashioned New England Boiled Dinner. I loved making it, but it didn't taste like Mom's. It just didn't have that  mellow , savory taste that I remembered. We all know that memory is tricky and extremely unreliable, but I would like to think that she would be complimented that I thought her rendition of this classic tasted better than mine. 

NEW ENGLAND BOILED DINNER

 This version is from David Rosengarten and calls for more vegetables than one customarily finds in this dish. This will easily serve eight people.While I don't think it's as good as my mother's, it is still pretty tasty. Better than good enough.

NEW ENGLAND BOILED DINNER

1. 1 (3 1/2 pound) corned beef brisket
2. 2 bay leaves
3. 2 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
4. 4 whole cloves
5. 4 whole allspice berries
6. 11/2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
7. 1/2 medium onion with skin
8. 2 garlic cloves, crushed
9. 12 cups cold water
10. 2 medium beets
11. 1 small cabbage, outer leaves removed, cut through the stem into 8 wedges
12. 3/4 pound rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
13. 2 medium turnips (about 3/4 pound)peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
14. 2 medium parsnips (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
15. 2 medium carrots (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
16. 6 small white onions, peeled but left whole, root end trimmed
17. 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
18. 1 tablespoons chopped parsley, for garnish
19. 1 tablespoon chopped chives, for garnish
20. Horseradish as accompaniment
21. Grainy mustard as accompaniment

Trim all but 1/4-inch fat from the corned beef. Place in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a simmer and simmer 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the corned beef. Return to the pot and add bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, justard seeds, onion and garlic. Add cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook gently partially covered, for 3 to 4 hours, until corned beef is tender but not falling apart. Add more water as necessary to keep the brisket submerged.

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Cook, peel, and cut into wedges. Keep warm for serving.

Remove corned beef from the pot and strain cooking liquid. Wrap corned beef in foil and keep warm in low oven. Return the liquid to a simmer and cook the vegetables until tender in the following groupings and for the following approximagte times:

cabbage:20 minutes

rutabaga and turnips: 18 minutes

Parsnips, carrots and onions: 15 minutes

potatoes: 10 minutes

As the vegetables cook, set them aside and add the next batch, or cook them in stages in the same pot.

To serve, return all the vegetables to the pot with the cooking liquid (if cooked separately). Slice warm corned beef thinly against the grain. Serve corned beef in shallow soup bowls with vegetables strewn around the bowl. Ladle hot stock over all, about 1/2 cup per bowl. Garnish with parsley and chives and serve immediately, with horseradish and mustard on the side.