Transcendental Boiled Dinner
(Serves 8-10)

Remember all those remarkable New England transcendentalists—Alcott, Emerson, Fuller, Hawthorne, and Thoreau? Well, here's a homey yet sublime dish in their honor.

4 lb. corned beef brisket (or picnic ham from the shoulder)
3 large cloves garlic (peeled and left whole)
4 bay leaves
12 pepperconrs
8 medium potatoes (peeled and halved)
8 medium carrots (peeled and halved)
1 large head green cabbage (cut in wedges)
2 medium turnips (peeled and quartered)—optional

Place meat in a large pot, covered with water. Add a bouquet garni (see sidebar) with garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Simmer 1 1/2  hours. Skim of surface "scum" and fat. Add root vegetables and cook another hour, till potatoes and carrots are soft to a fork. 

Slice meat onto a platter, surround with vegetables and spoon broth over all.  Some like to serve the entire meal in soup bowls filled with broth. 

Tips & Glossary: New England

Bouquet Garni: (boo-kay gar-nee), a bundle of  herbs tied together with string or wrapped in cheese cloth square. Usual herbs include parsley, thyme, and bay leaf, and peppercorns. They release their flavor during long cooking. Used to flavor soups and stews and removed before serving.

Ginger:  dried ground ginger is far more potent than freshly grated from the root.   Sweet dessert recipes call for ground powder.  If you wish to use freshly grated ginger, use 6 times the amount of ground called for in the recipe. 

Nutmeg:  Use small whole nuts and store them, tightly covered, in a dry dark area.  Grate what you need using the smallest grating edge or grind in a food processor.  What a difference from store bought nutmeg!

Piecrust:   Store-bought versions are heaven-sent for those who have neither the time nor the know-how for good homemade piecrust.  But for those willing to make their own, the payoff is great.