All Chicago turns green the weekend before St. Patrick's day. On Saturday morning, a sea of young and old make their way to Michigan Avenue to view a lavish parade. They sport funny green hats, paint shamrocks on their faces, wear green tee-shirts; a few are already tipsy. The normally drab Chicago River is dyed green for the occasion. The Irish are, after all, the city's largest heritage group.
After such a festive build-up, the actual feast day of St Patrick on the 17th is a bit of a let down. Standard fare is a heaping platter of corned beef, cabbage and root vegetables. It's supposed to be humble and comforting but, it doesn't have to be boring. What this dish needs is a lively sauce à la française.
Over the years I've dressed up our family’s meal of corned beef and cabbage with a quick sauce made on the spot with flavors that normally come to the table in condiment bottles. This year's rendition combines whole grain mustard, canned and sun-dried tomatoes, green onions with a touch of garlic and a bit of chopped parsley. The ingredients are diced, quickly sauteed and blended into a warm vinaigrette with olive oil.
MUSTARD SAUCE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
1 bunch green onions, root end trimmed, thinly sliced 1" into the green
1 large clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup olive oil, divided
1/2 cup canned, diced tomatoes
6 sun-dried tomato halves, rinsed and diced
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
Heat a thin layer of oil in an 8" skillet. Saute the onion and garlic pieces over medium heat for one minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes until the juices begin to thicken. Stir in the dried tomato pieces and the mustard. Cook another minute of two. Slowly stir in the remaining olive oil and bring to a simmer. Fold in the parsley. Off the heat, season with salt
A freshly-baked loaf of Brown Soda Bread is another welcome enhancement to corned beef and cabbage. It’s chewy crust, cake-like texture and scent of warm grain flatters the boiled vegetables and soaks up the sauce that remains on the plate. Best of all, you have enough time to bake it while the corned beef is simmering. Link: Brown Soda Bread
