Why not treat yourself to a traditional Ploughman’s lunch this weekend. Once the corned beef is prepared it is the quickest of meals to put together.
Ploughman’s Lunch
Serves 8
Ingredients:
pickled onion, to serve
Branston pickle, to serve
English mustard, to serve
300g aged English cheddar, to serve
Corned Beef
1.5kg corned silverside
3 bay leaves
6 cloves
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 shallots, whole, peeled
1 carrot, peeled and cut lengthways
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/3 cup malt vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
3 pieces orange peel, pith removed
½ tsp peppercorns
Pickled-cabbage salad
3 cups red cabbage, shaved
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
½ cup parsley leaves
Method:
To make the corned beef, place silverside, bay leaves, cloves, mustard seeds, shallots, carrot, and celery into a large pot; cover silverside with water.
Add malt vinegar, brown sugar, orange peel, and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove pot from heat; let meat cool completely in stock. Remove silverside from stock and thinly slice.
To make pickle cabbage, place cabbage and red-wine vinegar in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Remove and toss through parsley leaves.
Serve ploughman’s lunch with sliced silverside, pickled-cabbage salad, pickled onion, Branston pickle, English mustard, and aged cheddar.
Learn how to make pickle onions with our easy recipe
