Corned beef with parsley sauce.. so yummy!!
Although I do not have one once of the Irish in me, I have been celebrating St. Patrick’s day since the first time I was introduced to it.
I love to select my corned beef, get all the fixing, bring out my favorite pot, and get to work.
I do not know if you can call it to work, as the stove does everything for me.
To add a bit of a spin, here is a simple white sauce with parsley creating this excellent cream to accompany this super tender corned beef dinner.
In this Article
- What is Saint Patrick’s Day?
- You may wonder what exactly is “Corned Beef”?
- Here are a few helpful tips for the ingredients needed to make this Corned Beef with Parsley sauce.
- Equipment needed
- Cooking tips and step by step to make this delicious Corned Beef with Parsley Sauce recipe
- Storage instructions and reheating
- What can you prepare with leftovers?
- If you enjoy this Corned Beef with Horseradish Sauce, check out these flavorful recipes:
- Corned Beef with Parsley Sauce
What is Saint Patrick’s Day?
St. Patrick’s Day celebrated on March 17, is the patron saint of Ireland. It was initially observed as a religious celebration with a feast and services.
The Irish have observed the anniversary of his death in the fifth century for over a thousand years.
When the Irish immigrants reached the United States, they brought this day of celebration.
The first and on record St Patrick’s Day parade was held in 1601, but not in Ireland but in a Spanish colony now St. Augustine, Florida.
More than a century later, Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched on New York City in 1772 to honor the Irish patron saint.
Nowadays, New York and Boston have a spectacular parade every year. Irish or not, everyone joins in the celebration.
You may wonder what exactly is “Corned Beef”?
It is beef that has been cured in a salt solution. Long ago, that was the process of preserving meat. Today’s process remains the same, and beef brisket is the cut of meat.
One of the most asked questions is: why serve it with cabbage? When young immigrants came to America, those were affordable food at the time.
Here are a few helpful tips for the ingredients needed to make this Corned Beef with Parsley sauce.
This is a quick introduction. Please read the recipe for complete instructions.
Corned beef brisket: Most stores have it with all the spices in a packet to go alongside. Just remove it from the sealed package and follow the instructions.
Carrots: nicely chopped, all in the same bite-size. They are the perfect pairing to corned beef; to me, they are so versatile.
Yellow onion: the flavor of onions brings a beautiful layer to your corned beef cooking.
Cabbage: select one where all the leaves are nicely attached to together. Slice in four quarters.
Whole milk: The base for your sauce. Do use whole milk, which is richer in flavor and gives you a rich parsley sauce.
Flour: Thickening agent to create your parsley sauce.
Unsalted butter is the miracle ingredient to perfect your white sauce or bechamel. Use unsalted butter as you do not want to over-salt your dish. Unsalted butter has a very neutral flavor to it,
Parsley: Flatleaf parsley is always my choice. The rich flavor is also in the stems, therefore, do use them.
Mustard: A bit of punch to your sauce.
Nutmeg: The savory, spicy nutmeg flavor is perfect for all your white sauces. Uplift them.
Equipment needed
I only recommend what I use and love. To achieve this recipe, I used the following:
Cooking tips and step by step to make this delicious Corned Beef with Parsley Sauce recipe
A two steps recipe.
Corned beef
Please start with the corned beef by placing it in a large Dutch oven pan. Add the spice packet that comes with most store-purchased corned beef.
Add the peeled and chopped carrots, cabbage and onion with the corned beef. Cover with water.
Bring to a boil and remove the onion gray skim foam that forms while cooking.
Cover and let it do its thing for a couple of hours.
Once done, remove the corned beef from the cooking water and set aside covered. It will continue cooking.
Parsley Sauce
This is s bechamel sauce with the perfect hint and pieces of parsley.
Easy to make, the only tip I have for you is to keep a keen eye and continually stir.
The butter melts with the flour creating this excellent smooth cream.
A chef’s tip is to let the butter and flour cook together. You want to cook the flour until a beautifully fragrant, nutty flavor emerges.
Once the flour is well amalgamated with the butter, add your milk slowly and constantly whisk to prevent clumps from creating.
Adding the liquid from the corned beef will thin your sauce and bring in the flavors.
Add the nutmeg and parsley to this juncture and season with salt and pepper.
Whisk until the sauce thickens.
Storage instructions and reheating
It will store well in the refrigerator in an airtight glass container for several days.
You can also freeze the corned beef for up to two months.
The beauty of corned beef is that you can reheat it slowly in the oven covered so as not to dry and enjoy it another day or corned beef or make beautiful sandwiches.
What can you prepare with leftovers?
Ruben sandwich is one of my favorites, with 1000 Island dressing, prepared horseradish sauce, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and lots of sliced corned beef.
If you have leftover corned beef, you can always make corned beef ash with an egg for Sunday brunch.
If you enjoy this Corned Beef with Horseradish Sauce, check out these flavorful recipes:
Corned Beef with Horseradish Sauce
Coquilles Saint Jacques – A French Classic
Broiled Beef Tenderloin With Asparagus and Roasted Red Onion Vinaigrette
Equipment used to prepare this recipe
Corned Beef with Parsley Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound corned beef brisket
- 2 carrots, cleaned and chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons flat-leaf parsley, minced
- ½ teaspoon mustard
- nutmeg, pinch
- 1 cabbage, divided in 4 pieces
Instructions
- Place the corned beef with spice packet into a large pot. Add the carrots, onion less 1 tablespoon into a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and skim the foam from the surface of the water.
- Cover and simmer for about 2 ½ hours, or until the corned beef is tender. Add the cabbage and cook for another 5 minutes and let it rest in the pan with the juices until tender.
- Remove from the liquid, wrap in foil and set aside. Reserve about ¾ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mince the reserved onions and add to the butter.
- Cook for about 1 minute then whisk in the flour and cook for another 1 minute more.
- Add the reserved liquid, milk parsley, mustard, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste whisking the ingredients together until smooth
- Cook for another 5 minutes more, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens.
- Serve over slices of corned beef and spoon the sauce over it.
Nutrition
Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.
- Course: Beef, Veal & Lamb, Dinners
- Cuisine: International
- Season: Winter
Did you make this?
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Originally published on March 17, 2013. Updated on March 9, 2023.
