Although this dish is rarely eaten nowadays in Ireland, for Irish-Americans it conjures up powerful nostalgic images of a rural Irish past. Originally it was a traditional Easter Sunday dinner. The beef killed before the winter would have been salted and could now be eaten after the long Lenten fast with fresh green cabbage and floury potatoes.. Also called 'salt' beef, this beef is rubbed with coarse salt to a thickness of about 1/4 inch, then with brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of salpetre (this turns it red). The joint is put into a bowl and turned each day for about a week. The leanest cut is called silverside or tail end; brisket is a mixture of fat and lean. Pork is also put into this pickle and known as pickled pork. It is cooked the same way as the beef. Ready salted meat can be bought from most butchers. It is advisable to soak the meat for at least 3 hours before cooking, so that the stock from the meat can be used for soup.

Ingredients: 4 lb corned beef 2 large onions, 1 stuck with 4 cloves 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder Sprig each of thyme & parsley 1 large sliced carrot 1 large cabbage Pepper Cold Water Put the meat into a large saucepan with all the ingredients except the cabbage. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil; then skim off any scum. Cover and simmer very gently for 3/4 hour, then put in the cabbage, trimmed and cut into quarters. Leave a little of the stump on, as this adds flavour. Cook the meat for 30 minutes to the pound and serve on a dish surrounded with the cabbage.