March 10, 2002 – Irish folk and lovers of things Irish will celebrate St. Patrick's Day next Sunday by dining on corned beef and cabbage. In her book, "The Food & Folklore of the Virgin Islands," the late Arona Petersen offers a West Indian version of this traditional Irish dish.
Corned beef is beef, usually brisket, which is cured in a seasoned brine. The term "corned" comes from the English use of the word "corn" to mean any small particle, such as a grain of salt. Old-style corned beef was very salty. Today, most corned beef has less salt and is made without nitrites, which are thought to be carcinogenic, as a preservative.
It may be this change in processing that has been responsible for the flavor change of corned beef over the years. While "long ago it was a tradition to serve corned beef at parties and picnics," Petersen writes, "the corned beef we buy now is not even a distant relative to the corned beef of yore."
Enjoy the recipe below, which is an adaptation of Petersen's original.
West Indian-style Corned Beef Hash
2 12-ounce cans corned beef, drained and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 potatoes, diced small
4 eggs
1 tablespoon butter
Sauté together corned beef, garlic, onion, peppers, celery, curry powder, tomato sauce and potatoes until vegetables are soft and meat and potatoes are browned. Spoon corned beef mixture onto a serving plate. Fry eggs in butter, sunny side up. Lay eggs across corned beef. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 630 calories, 32 gms fat (46 percent fat calories), 392 mg cholesterol, 2234 mg sodium.
