Corned Beef Hash or What does Hitchcock have to do with Corned Beef?

My husband found a recipe for making Corned Beef in the April 2012 issue of Cuisine at Home.  He thought it would be a great idea to try and make some.  We both love Corned Beef but we had never had homemade Corned Beef.  He thought this would be a great dish to try.

My husband got the necessary ingredients together and set about curing the brisket.

For the most part, I watched the entire process.  Yes!Chef! is a very patient man when it comes to cooking and, for him, the process of making food is something he thoroughly enjoys.

He chopped garlic and fresh ginger, ground the dry spices, trimmed the beef carefully and rubbed the spices into the meat on both sides.

After that, he weighed down the beef and put it in the refrigerator to work it’s magic for a few days.

At this point, I’d like to take a brief moment away from the kitchen and head over to…

Bodega Bay and the Sonoma Coast.

In February of this year a couple of my photog friends and I spent the day over at the coast to do a little photography.  We stopped at Fort Ross and took a stroll thru the forest, which was almost magical.  Then, we drove over to Goat Rock to wait for the sun to set.  We were not disappointed. It was a glorious sunset.

We also stopped in the little town of Bodega where Hitchcock’s “The Birds” was filmed. We found the house that was used as the school house in the movie. It still looked remarkably the same as in the movie.

Ha!  Just kidding.  Although this is an actual picture of the “schoolhouse” actually taken by me, I did embellish it a bit.

Back to the Corned Beef.

After my husband cooked the meat, he decided that he would use some of it to make Corned Beef Hash.  Since it was Friday night and Friday night is Martini night, he made me one perfect Martini for each of us to have while he was making  dinner. (Shaken not stirred.)

Yes!Chef! cooked potatoes, chopped onions and the corned beef and poured them all in the black skillet that always produces tasty food.

(He is such a handsome man…but I digress).

Then, when I was busy finishing up the rest of my one perfect martini, he presented me with a perfect meal.

The hash was sweet because of the potatoes, succulent because of the Corned Beef and had a little kick to it because he threw in some red pepper flakes.  Then, when I cut open the egg and the yolk ran into the hash it added a richness and creaminess that elevated the dish to more than a simple hash.  It was tasty! Another successful meal by Yes!Chef!.  By the way, usually this kind of meal is something you find on the breakfast table rather than the dinner table.  However, we at the Schmautzhaus love to have breakfast for dinner.  And, it was even good with the last little bit of the martini that I had left in the glass.

Here’s the recipe.  (You don’t have to make your own Corned Beef to make this recipe.)

Oh!  In regards to why it’s called Corned Beef…

I also read a little about the origins of Corned Beef from a food blog that I follow (Marinating online).  Chef Connie of Marinating online tells the story about the origins of Corned Beef (which is quite a bit unsavory). Click on the link to read about it and see a great recipe for making your own Corned Beef.