Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Breakfast Hash

Don't you love poached eggs and hash? The actual origin of doesn't matter a bit to me.* What matters is how inspired a good hash can be.

In my growing up years, my Grandma Edith made roast beef hash for dinner. She occasionally called it dry hash, which is a trend I never followed. It just sounds like you left it on the stove a trifle long and a bottle of ketchup will be required. It was tasty, not so dry, easy to make and a nice change of pace for dinner. My preference, though, is for Corned Beef Hash at breakfast. I'm sure this has everything to do with my dad and his love for breakfast out. What a treat it was. Dad and I would run an errand on a Saturday and end up at one or the other of his favorite coffee shops where the only real choices were a lovely cheddar omelet with tomato and rye toast or Corned Beef Hash with a poached egg.

I've made lots of different types of hash over the years -- Corned Beef, red flannel, roast beef, lamb -- all good. So when it's morning and I see a few left over roasted potatoes and some meat, I'm thinkin' hash.



Yesterday, following our wonderful Easter meal, there was the left over ham staring at me and a teen man doing the same thing. His morning words are predictable. Often I hear, "Hi Mama." I almost always hear, "Food?" or the other version, "Food!" So there were were, me, the potatoes, ham, a bit of yellow bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, thyme, tarragon, salt and pepper and the hungry boy. A bit of heat and voila. No egg required.













*(If you need to know, it came out of Britain during the war when rations were a necessity.)

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Corned Beef & Cabbage


We had to go a little early with our St. Patrick's celebrating. So last night we left our roots behind and clung to that small strand of Irish blood as we enjoyed Corned Beef & Cabbage.

I keep it really simple.
The Corned Beef (from Trader Joe's) cooked all day on low in the slow cooker with a quartered onion, two carrots, three celery ribs and a big sprig of Thyme.

Later, I pulled the Corned Beef out for a bit and put the carrots and potatoes on the stove in liquid I transferred from the slow cooker. Cored cabbage went in, cut in 1/8th and finally we were ready for the big bowl: Corned Beef, potatoes, carrots and cabbage (with lots of butter) and a little side of bread.

It's not a lot of work and I often wonder why I only make it once a year. But here we are. 

I hope you have fun in the kitchen today with or without the Irish focus! And, may the road rise up to meet you!