Corned Beef with White Onion Sauce

Corned Beef with White Onion Sauce

Before I really got interested into cooking the only corned beef that I know of is the canned version and I do love it specially the Palm’s Brand the taste is just addictive, its like KFC Chickens or McD’s Quarter Pounders where you know it’s not healty but you still kept on eating it.  I also remember when I was a child I thought they made corned beef by letting the cows eat a lot of corn that’s why it tastes so yummy until I saw it on TV.  The term corned beef came from the word “corn” where they cured the beef using grains of coarse salts.  Where corn does not mean the maize but grains. Now the pink color comes from the Potassium Nitrate where its added to the brine the beef is cured on.

Corned Beef have been there for quite sometime and in fact it originated on Ireland way back the 12th century, which only royalties can eat as it was a rare and a valued dish as salt during that time was really expensive it is even used as a payment for services rendered (remember the word salary came from the word salt) and cattle are not meant to be eaten during those days and only used for milking, it can only be consumed when it cannot yeild milk anymore.

Ingredients (Corned Beef)

1kg corned silverside

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp white pepper

bay leaves

peppercorns

Ingredients (White Onion Sauce)

2 cups of stock from the boiled silverside

4 large white onions, peeled and quartered

1 carrot, sliced

1 turnip, sliced

1/2 cup white wine

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1/2 cup cream

1 tsp dried parsley

Method (Corned Beef)

1. In a pot combine all ingredients and cover it with water.

2. Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Using low heat simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

3. Remove from heat and leave the meat inside until cooled down.

4. Once cooled down cut the beef into thin slices, set aside.

Method (White Onion Sauce)

1. Place stock, onions, carrots, turnips and white wine in a saucepan, simmer until vegetables are tender.

2. Using a colander separate the liquid from the vegetables.  Set aside the liquid.

3. In the same saucepan, add the butter and flour, cook until a roux is formed.  Now add the separated liquid on step 2 and dried parlsey, then whisk thoroughly until free of lumps.

4. Bring to a boil then simmer until thinkened.  Add cream give it a good mix then use as gravy for the corned beef slices.