This one pot meal of sweet, touch of sour and salty flavours is true home comfort food.  The recipe gives instructions to cook either on the stovetop, or my preferred method, using a slow cooker, to set and forget for eight hours.

serves 4

1- 1.2kg corned beef, rinsed

1 brown onion, peeled

6 whole cloves

1 golden delicious apple

1 lemon

10 peppercorns

¼ bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped and stalks reserved

400g kipfler potatoes

1 bunch Dutch or organic carrots, tops trimmed 

½ small red or savoy cabbage, cut into 4 wedges

Mustard sauce:

1 large egg

½ cup corned beef cooking liquid

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1½ tablespoons brown sugar

Place the piece of corned beef into a medium sized deep cast iron saucepan (large enough to hold meat and vegetables), or in the bowl of a slow cooker.  Press cloves into onion all over.  Add the apple, onion, lemon, peppercorns and parsley stalks.  Pour in enough water to just cover meat.  Place saucepan over a high heat and bring to a simmer, skimming any rising scum with a wide spoon.  Reduce heat to low, cover with lid and cook for 1½ hours, making sure the liquid does not boil (this will toughen meat).  Use a simmer mat underneath saucepan if necessary.  If using the slow cooker, add the potatoes and carrots as well, set to low, cover with lid and leave to cook for 8 hours.

If cooking on the stove, add the potatoes and carrots 30 minutes before end of cooking time.  Then add the cabbage wedges 15 minutes before end of cooking time.  Cook vegetables until tender when pierced with a knife.  If using a slow cooker, add the cabbage 45 minutes before end of cooking time.  

While cabbage is cooking, make the sauce.  Remove ½ cup of cooking liquid. In a small saucepan whisk together the vinegar, cooking liquid, egg, mustard and brown sugar.  Place over a low-medium heat and continue to whisk until sauce thickens, coating back of a spoon.  Remove from heat.  Pass sauce through a small sieve into a jug, to remove any egg white lumps that may have formed. Set aside and keep warm.

Remove meat, potatoes, carrots and cabbage.  Slice meat.  Serve with vegetables, accompanied with mustard sauce. Garnish with parsley.

© Fiona Hammond May 2019