Family Recipe Friday - Boiled Dinner

It's kind of funny. When I was a kid, I wasn't a big fan of the baked ham dinner. Sure, it was okay and I'd eat it with minimal fuss, but it was not my favorite meal. Still, I looked forward to it because of what would inevitably follow: boiled dinner. 

Ah, boiled dinner, how can I put something so ethereally delicious into words? Imagine all the best parts of Irish fare--meat, potatoes, carrots, cabbage--simmering on the stove all afternoon. Fragrances mingling. Flavors marrying. (Are you with me on this one?) Whether it was prepared in my grandmother's kitchen or my mother's, it was a giant pot of awesome sauce. (Did I mention that I've been a vegetarian for several years? Writing this is unmitigated torture.)

Okay, since you're probably now at your breaking point, dying to know how to make this yourself, I'll get on with it.

Boiled Dinner

Ingredients:

• Leftover baked ham (or corned beef), still on the bone
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 head of cabbage, quartered
• Several white potatoes (yes, "several"), halved
• A bunch of carrots, sliced about 1-inch thick
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

I know you're in awe of all these really precise and helpful units of measurement, right? Admittedly, this is what you might call a go-with-the-flow-and-trust-your-instincts kind of recipe. Believe me, I'd provide the metric conversion of "several" and "bunch" if I could, but it's a little outside my realm of expertise.

Directions:

• Combine all of the above mentioned ingredients in a large pot
• Add enough water to cover the vegetables
• Bring to a boil
• Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, frequently ladling the juices over the meat while cooking

And that's it. It's not elaborate or complicated--just homey and delicious. So, set aside your measuring cups just this once and tap into your adventurous side. This dinner is worth it. (Really, I promise.)