Corned Beef & Cabbage

1 large corned beef brisket
2 or 3 cans (0.7 to 1 kg) of cheap beer
a couple of dried chiles, perhaps serranos
1 or 2 teaspoons (5-10 mL) coriander seeds
1 or 2 teaspoons (5-10 mL) mustard seeds
a few dashes cinnamon
a few dashes of allspice
3 or 4 large potatoes, scrubbed and chopped in quarters
5 or 6 carrots, coarsely sliced
3 or 4 turnips, scrubbed and sliced
1 large cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 lb (1/2 kg) mixed beans

Buy a corned beef brisket at your local supermarket. In a pot, pour 12 ounces (340 g) of beer. Add a bay leaf or two, a dried red chile or two, a teaspoon or two (5-10 mL) of coriander seeds, a teaspoon or two (5-10 mL) of mustard seeds, a few dashes of cinnamon, a few dashes of allspice, and all the juice from the corned beef pack. Put the corned beef on a steamer rack in the pot and add water to bring the liquid level up to the bottom of the rack.

Cover the pot and put it on some heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Steam for several hours (it took me five hours for a 4 lb (2 kg) brisket) until the meat doesn't feel rubbery when you stick a fork in it. Add water or beer or both as needed to keep some liquid in the pot.

Remove the meat and slice. Remove the steamer rack. Leave all the other stuff in the pot and put in some potatoes and carrots and turnips or whatever. Add water [or beer!] to cover and boil until the stuff is cooked. Remove all the vegatables and potatoes. Put the steamer rack back in and put in some cabbage wedges. Steam them for about five to ten minutes, depending on how crisp or soggy you like cabbage. Serve.

Get out some beans which you have thoughtfully left soaking overnight in water. Drain them and put them in a pot. Cover them with the liquid that you have been using to cook the corned beef and cabbage and potatoes and vegatables. The liquid should be about an inch higher than the beans. Simmer for three or four hours or until the beans are as firm or as mushy as you like them.