Corned-Beef Style Boiled Vegetables

Developed March, 2017. Unlike the traditional boiling method, when steam is used to cook corned beef, there may be little flavorsome stock in which to cook the accompanying vegetables. This recipe solves the problem by first creating a stock with beef base and the appropriate spices. Another approach was described earler.

2 qt water
1 T beef stock concentrate (Better than Bouillon™ is good)
2 T kosher salt
1/2 T brown sugar

Put the following in a large tea ball or wrap in cheese cloth.

2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
2 allspice berries
1 t peppercorns
1 t coriander seeds

1 lb yellow potatoes, quartered lengthwise
10 oz (four medium) carrots, peeled, split lengthwise
1-1/2 lb (1/2 head) green cabbage, quartered through the core
8 oz frozen pearl onions, thawed

Bring water, concentrate, salt, and sugar to a slow boil, with stirring. Add the seasonings and simmer 10 minutes to form a cooking stock. Add potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. Cook at a fast simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the onions and heat through. Rewarm corned beef slices in the stock and serve in bowls. Variation: Replace or supplement the corned beef with lengths of Polish sausage.

Easy Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin spice does its best work in this moist, rich sweet bread. Recipe from a family friend from 30 years ago.

1 29 oz can pumpkin
4 beaten eggs
3 c sugar
1 c oil
3-1/2 c flour
2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t ground clove
1 t ground all spice
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
about 2/3 c water
1-1/2 cups chopped roasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. In large bowl, beat eggs, stir in pumpkin, sugar, and oil in sequence, mixing well after each addition. Sift dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in water and mix in nuts. Distribute batter into 3 well-greased large loaf pans. Bake 55 to 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted in middle will come out clean when done. Keeps and freezes well. Very good toasted and topped with cream cheese. Yield: 3 large loaves.