Do You Eat A New England Boiled Dinner?

[AGBF]

How about Irish Soda Bread? It is St. Patrick's Day today. (Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody.) The husband of one of my friends in Maine told me earlier this week that he was making a boiled dinner and went on to tell me which vegetables he was putting in the pot. Yesterday the woman who helps me surprised me by bringing the ingredients for a New England Boiled Dinner here. She had also bought enough to bring home to cook that night for herself and her children.

I assume that people in most parts of the United States eat corned beef and cabbage, but do you call it, "A New England Boiled Dinner"? What vegetables do you boil with the corned beef and cabbage? My parents used to cook this; I never had to do the cooking. Now I had someone else cook it for me again. I have actually never prepared it myself. Besides the meat and cabbage, there are always potatoes and carrots. Yesterday we had parsnips. My friend's husband used turnips. He said he even through in some mushrooms. (That didn't sound traditional to me.) Oh, of course there were onions!

Tell me what you use and what you call this and if you make it often or only around St. Patrick's Day. My father has eaten so much Irish soda bread that I am going to have to start baking it myself since it disappears from the shelves after the holiday. I used to be a real bread baker, so a quick bread like this shouldn't be a big challenge for me, but if you have a favorite recipe, please share it. I'd really love to use a good one!

Deb/AGBF

 

[telephone89]

The boiled dinner does not sound very appetizing to me haha.

I make dutch oven bread, which does have yeast (http://lecreuset.ca/no-knead-french-oven-bread/ if the link doesn't work you can google no knead French oven bread) however I just checked the le creuset site and they do have a soda recipe too.
The soda recipe http://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/2014/03/17/garlic-and-herb-irish-soda-bread-with-lemon-honey-butte/ (same recipe as from the site, I just can't open the American site). Should be pretty easy.

We used to make shep pie for St Patricks day, but haven't in a few years. That's about as irish (besides beer!) as I get

 

[AGBF]

The boiled dinner does not sound very appetizing to me haha.

That is one of the things I was looking for in this thread! To us New Englanders, this dinner is heaven! Even to those of us who like good cuisine. If we were brought up here, that is. Of course I cannot speak for everyone, but many of us are attached to this meal. (My favorite foods are Thai food-made in the US-and authentic Mexican and Italian foods. I have an Italian husband and love to eat in Liguria.)

Deb

 

[telephone89]

I've had a crab/crawfish boil before - which is fine. But something about eating boiled meat and cabbage...

 

[MJ_Mac]

Love it but have never heard it referred to as a "New England boiled dinner". It's just corned beef and cabbage, but then I'm in Canada. I use onions, carrots, rutabaga (turnip), potatoes and of course green cabbage, served with a side of grainy mustard. Yum!

 

[stracci2000]

I love the "boiled dinner", or corned beef and cabbage as my mom always called it.
I like to use red skin potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion, the spice packet that comes with the meat, and several bay leaves.
We aren't Irish, but it's fun to have this dinner on St Patrick's day.
Unfortunately, DH is not a fan of cabbage, so to appease him, I haven't made it the last few years.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I've also never heard it called "New England boiled dinner". LOVE Irish soda bread but eating low carb so that isn't on the menu this year. It is so good though. Spread some Kerrygold butter on it, amazing!

 

[House Cat]

I never boil my corned beef, I bake it. When I was young, I used to Irish dance. St. Patrick's Day was spent dancing in festivals and there were mounds of corned beef served with all of the fixings. The old ladies would bake the meat because who has pots big enough to boil 10,000,000 pieces of corned beef? When you bake it, the flavor intensifies and it is so delicious!!!

There are recipes all over the net with instructions for baking. I highly recommend it.

 

[Arcadian]

I don't boil, I pressure cook (its kinda different ) But yes, we do indeedy do it. I didn't grow up with it being a tradition as I'm a midwest girl at heart, but I learned how to do it when I first moved up here and really, its very tasty when done right. I have to get the uncured meat though, I can't do the packaged stuff (nitrates = migraines)

I don't eat bread much so usually skip making it.

 

[MJ_Mac]

I don't boil, I pressure cook (its kinda different ) But yes, we do indeedy do it. I didn't grow up with it being a tradition as I'm a midwest girl at heart, but I learned how to do it when I first moved up here and really, its very tasty when done right. I have to get the uncured meat though, I can't do the packaged stuff (nitrates = migraines)

I don't eat bread much so usually skip making it.

This is why I don't make it all that often. It's not worth the migraine that follows. Where do you find uncured corned beef?

 

[momhappy]

We have always just called it corned beef and cabbage. I enjoy it, but I have to admit, it's been a while since I've had it.
My dinner tonight will probably be spicy thai tuna with avocados, so nothing special for me this year on St Pat's Day

 

[NTave]

I make a traditional Irish soda bread (with raisins) for this holiday. I also go between making a Guinness beef stew or corned beef and cabbage. That's what we call it. This year corned beef won out. I also bake a green cream cheese frosted chocolate mayonnaise cake, it's what my family made growing up. I
I consider a New England boiled dinner to include a picnic shoulder (ham) not corned beef, but I suppose they are similar enough. The ham dinner is usually served with a grainy mustard, and corned beef is made with pickling spice..I'm sure that's my own differentiation Veggies are similar. My children really only eat carrots and corned beef, I'm not sure why I bother with the fuss.
This was the first year we "forgot" to make a leprechaun trap. I'm interested to see if this is a thing everywhere. I'm not upset in the slightest that this school tradition my children came home with isn't haporking this year.

 

[maccers]

We call it Jiggs Dinner in Canada. It's mostly an eastern maritime thing; I've never eaten it. And it's served more often than just St. patty's.
The idea isn't appealing to me but I don't like corned beef. I think a brisket or ham might be a nice sub.

 

[AGBF]

Where is Amber St. Clare today? Maybe she is out celebrating tonight. She was the one person who knew the Irish band that did one of my favorite Christmas songs.* I believe she had had plans to see them perform live, so perhaps she is stepping out tonight. (If you are, Amber, have fun!)

Deb

*Link to the song...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTx-sdR6Yzk

 

[lulu]

I never heard it called a New England anything. We just call it corned beef and cabbage and we had 15 for dinner today. We did corned beef in the crock pot for 8 hours with beer and ginger ale. We roast the vegetables-red potatoes, carrots and onions with some olive oil because they're better that way. We do boil the cabbage.

I made a couple loaves of soda bread and it was all delicious. Looking forward to corned beef sandwiches tomorrow.

 

[PintoBean]

I'm giggling a little right now because yesterday AGBF started this New England Boiled Dinner thread, and over at Rocky Talk today someone started a Diamond Boiling thread. hee hee hee ...

My in-laws do a corned beef w/ cabbage in Guinness. I find that the Guinness makes it too bitter, so when I've made it for DH in the past, I've gone with a honey beer or nutty beer - something lighter and sweeter. yum!

 

[Modified Brilliant]

What a disaster! I make a point of eating a boiled dinner once a year on St. Patty's Day but my cruel joke of a dinner from WHOLE FOODS MARKET was: corned beef, bok choy, mashed potatoes, and sausage. You would "think" that they might have prepared all the ingredients of a boiled dinner at the hot bar for people to take home. But it was a lame effort. There's always next year and better planning!

 

[PintoBean]

What a disaster! I make a point of eating a boiled dinner once a year on St. Patty's Day but my cruel joke of a dinner from WHOLE FOODS MARKET was: corned beef, bok choy, mashed potatoes, and sausage. You would "think" that they might have prepared all the ingredients of a boiled dinner at the hot bar for people to take home. But it was a lame effort. There's always next year and better planning!

HAHAHA we went to Whole Foods too! I was expecting them to have something by the hot food area that you have to order. By the time we got there, just a few slices of corned beef in the DIY hot bar, big chunks of cabbage, and the potato bin next to the corned beef was empty. I indulged in a small slice of corned beef .

 

[AGBF]

Somebody should alert Whole Foods to the black eye they are getting here and also tell them that they are missing an opportunity to make a lot of money on St. Patrick's Day. They should be ready to have a feast for customers next year. But they won't be if no one tells them!

AGBF

 

[Tekate]

My mother was Irish (I grew up in NY state), I live in New England now ... I love and loved a New England boiled dinner, it's divine!

The boiled dinner does not sound very appetizing to me haha.

That is one of the things I was looking for in this thread! To us New Englanders, this dinner is heaven! Even to those of us who like good cuisine. If we were brought up here, that is. Of course I cannot speak for everyone, but many of us are attached to this meal. (My favorite foods are Thai food-made in the US-and authentic Mexican and Italian foods. I have an Italian husband and love to eat in Liguria.)

Deb

 

[wordie89]

s

Yes! When I was a kid we'd have canned hash with stir fried cabbage and onions and I always enjoyed it over rice. Spent some time in Maine and tried making it with fresh corned beef. Usually enjoyed it more the next day, red flannel hash. This year DH made it using a different recipe and on my suggestion baked carrots separately. It was so good, with fresh beets and turnips. Not much left over for hash or sandwiches! :lickout good thing my dog didn't grab the plate off the counter!

 

[AGBF]

Yes! When I was a kid we'd have canned hash with stir fried cabbage and onions and I always enjoyed it over rice. Spent some time in Maine and tried making it with fresh corned beef. Usually enjoyed it more the next day, red flannel hash. This year DH made it using a different recipe and on my suggestion baked carrots separately. It was so good, with fresh beets and turnips. Not much left over for hash or sandwiches! :lickout good thing my dog didn't grab the plate off the counter!

Wonderful photo, wordie! These meals do not (in my opinion) always look as good as they taste. But yours looked good, too!

Deb

 

[Arcadian]

Some whole foods around me tend to carry the uncured stuff, it goes quick though Stop and Shop this year also carried uncured corned beef. Its definitely more expensive, and usually you have to get it when you see it because it never lasts long on the shelves.