Growing up, my family had corned beef and cabbage for dinner on St. Patrick’s Day every single year. So established was this annual culinary tradition that my father recently compared the certainty of the meal to that of turkey on Thanksgiving. And, like turkey on Thanksgiving, the magic of leftovers can turn corned beef from a once-a-year treat into a two-three day splurge into salt-cured goodness.
Thankfully for the lunch-crowd on March 18th, corned beef is as at home between a couple pieces of rye bread as it is over a bed of cooked cabbage. Typically, mustard and a pickle are all the accoutrements that the sandwich needs (add cole slaw if you’re making a Rueben). This year, however, we at FoodMatch decided to add a Mediterranean-twist to the standard corned beef leftover sandwich- and we’re never looking back.
We used Beaufor mustard and Andre Laurent sauerkraut to establish a base of classic flavors with the corned beef and then topped the whole thing with crisp, piquant Divina Pepperoncini. The peppers added a fresh, spicy element to the saltiness of the beef and the tartness of the sauerkraut. Not only that, but their bright green color proved to be very holiday-appropriate. Between two lightly toasted pieces of rye bread the mix of flavors was a culinary pot of gold. Believe us, this is a holiday sandwich you’ll want to have way more than once a year. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Erin go Bragh!
