A family favourite in many households. Silverside or corned beef can satisfy for days, generally when you cook it you cook alot, and there is always plenty in the fridge for the next day or 2. As soon as I could I was cooking corned meat at home, and exploring many ways to serve it. It is quite a simple preparation, and requires little attention during the cooking process, even less if you have a good ol crock pot under the bench. The recipe below is dead easy and not too heavy but well good for a nice little Sunday lunch this winter. Gather your troops and enjoy.
Here is the simple way of cooking classic corned beef
Approx 2 kg corned beef (generally it will be silverside)
1 star anise
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
6 peppercorns
2 leaves of bay
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
1 tablespoon of sea salt
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Select a deep saucepan or use your crock pot or slow cooker. Put the meat into the pot, add all the ingredients and cover with COLD water. Bring to the boil, adjust the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 2 ½ hours. Place a lid on the saucepan during the cooking process just slightly ajar.
- If you are cooking this in a slow cooker, add meat, ingredients and cold water to the cooker, turn on low and cook until tender.
- for the burnt onion Jus
Take 500 ml of brown chicken stock and reduce it by 2/3 with 2 onion halves that you have pretty much burnt in a pan. Do this by chopping a brown onion in half through the equator, adding it to a hot pan with a touch of oil, then turn down the heat and [burn] the cut surface. Adding this onion to the stock will help colour and add a smokiness to the jus. When the desired consistency is achieved, season with a little lemon juice.
- for the parsley potatoes
Take 4 Dutch Cream potatoes [the best spud around ATM] peel and roughly dice. Cook in salted water until soft, though still holding shape. In a separate pan place 1 finely diced golden shallot with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and sweat for 2-3 minutes. Add 300 ml of pure cream, some sea salt and a grind of white pepper and reduce by 1/3. Add 1/2 bunch of washed flat leaf parsely leaves and blend with an immersion [stick] blender. Season to taste then add cooked potatoes. More parsley can be added if so desired. You’ll also achieve a stronger parsley flavour if you use the curley variety, I’ll leave it to personal taste with the parsley choice.
- to serve
Carve the corned silverside, place on warmed plates, spoon over some of the parsley potatoes, then flood the plate with a little burnt onion jus. Scatter over a few fennel fronds if around and serve with some lemon wedges [the acid will go a treat]
Wine match
2010 Ross Hill ‘Pinnacle Series’ Cabernet Franc
Texture, structure, intensity and complexity are the hallmarks of this bottle here. It comes from one of Orange’s leading winemakers, Ross Hill Wines
- Visit them on the web – www.rosshillwines.com.au
