St. Patrick’s Day in a
Multi-Cultural Family –
Comforting Memories

Yes, I’m a foodie. I readily admit that I have eaten my way through journeys to North, Central, and South America; the Caribbean; Europe, and Northern Africa. If there is a restaurant or cafe that offers well-prepared, tasty food, I’ve probably been there. So, many of my strongest comforting memories are founded by food experiences. This doesn’t surprise me. What else can you do that involves all five senses, that encourages the use of taste and smell, which support the strongest memory capture?

This has been a very tender time in my journey to recover more authenticity. I’ve been dealing with helping my body rebalance from the various energies coming in the environment, so I’ve been putting my relationship with my body first. This is new behavior for me, as I usually take care of everyone but me. But, my body was signalling through heart rhythm issues that she had to be a priority. I’ve just written a post, Matters of the Heart, that talks about this experience in depth.

Keying in on the emotions underneath the rebalancing of my health and wealth, I’ve been working with SARK, using the Inner Wise Self, Three Part Harmony, and Inner Critic Care systems. So, a lot of old issues come up for resolution. At times the accompanying emotions seem overwhelming. It’s times like this that I seek comfort – sometimes cuddling up with the four kitty princes, reading a favorite book. Yesterday, I visited a happy memory from the past by cooking one of my favorite St. Paddy’s dishes, corned beef. That mean’s leftovers, and leftover corned beef means Mama’s Reuben Sandwiches. I would like to share these comforting memories with you.

My Mom was an eclectic cook. She learned to cook from her Swiss mother and her Italian brother-in-law. Mom loved to learn the German and Polish dishes my Dad’s Mother cooked for the family. So, our food was multi-cultural. We never knew which part of the family we’d remember when we came home from school or work and had dinner together. This recipe for Reuben Sandwiches is one of those where cultures meld and come together for an amazing food experience. The photo introducing this post is my Reuben just before I ate it for brunch on Saturday.

By the way you can clean these recipes up by using organic, natural ingredients. I even have a source for a nitrate free corned beef: http://wildideabuffalo.com

Reuben Sandwich Recipe

Aunt Millie’s Russian Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 c Organic Ketchup
1/4 c Organic Safflower Mayonnaise
2 tsp Organic Dill Pickle Relish

Instructions:

Mix equal parts of ketchup and mayonnaise in a bowl. Add 1-2 tsp dill pickle relish, to taste. I like my Russian dressing with a sour note, so I may use more Dill Pickle Relish.

My GodMother’s, Anne’s
Real Irish Corned Beef

Ingredients:

3-4 lb. Corned Beef with juices from the package and whatever pickling spices they include
2 tbsp Pickling Spices (if they are not included in the corned beef package)
2 Organic Onions Quartered
3 Large Organic Carrots cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
4 Stalks of Organic Celery cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 lbs of Organic Fingerling or Baby Size Potatoes

Instructions:

Place the corned beef and spices in a heavy cast iron pot with a lid. I use my Le Creuset stock pot.
Cover with good water until the corned beef is completely submerged with about 1 inch of extra water in the pot.
Bring the stock pot to the boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 2 hours.
Add the veggies and bring the pot back to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for another hour.
Remove the corned beef to a platter, cover with foil, and let this cool and rest a bit.
Slice corned beef against the grain to serve.

Grandma Totzke’s Kapusta (Sauerkraut)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Sauerkraut
5-6 Slices of Thick Organic, Nitrate Free Bacon chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Large Organic Onion diced

Instructions:

Rinse all salt brine off the sauerkraut and drip dry. I use a colander and then push the sauerkraut down and then fluff it up to dry the excess water off.
Saute bacon until beginning to crisp.
Add onion and continue sauteing until the onion is starting to brown around the edges and the bacon is crisp.
Add the sauerkraut to the saute pan. Mix the bacon, bacon fat, and onions into the sauerkraut until the sauerkraut is coated. Heat through.

My Mom’s Multi-Cultural Reuben Sandwich

Ingredients:

Slices of Rye Bread with Caraway Seeds
Organic Butter
Russian Dressing
Sliced Corned Beef (better if slightly warm)
Sauerkraut (slightly warm)
Organic Swiss Cheese Slices

Instructions for One Reuben:

Put a pat of butter in a ceramic non-stick frying pan. Melt.
Slather the inside of two pieces of rye bread with Russian dressing.
Place two pieces of Swiss cheese on one piece of bread.
Put several slices of corned beef on top of the Swiss cheese.
Put a couple of spoonfuls of sauerkraut on top of the corned beef.
Put the second slice of rye bread on top of the sandwich.
Toast both sides of the Reuben until the cheese melts.

Notes

Every time I smell the corned beef cooking or the onions and bacon sauteing, I remember the family members who made these dishes for me. The feelings of care and comfort are so strong. Although this Reuben is very tasty, the memories enhance the experience for me, and I catch myself smiling and remembering these wonderful women who cooked for me.

I also wanted to say that I get several meals for the two of us from one corned beef. We have slices with the veggies and sauerkraut for dinner, Reubens for lunch, reheated leftovers, omelets, or corned beef/sauerkraut/potato bubble and squeak.