"He's got 'blarney', mom, and he's a blast!" confided my daughter, who lives in Chicago. So the guy spins sweet talk and swagger, I thought - as bad a mix as cheap whiskey and tough brisket. He must be an Irish import. I recall wondering what it would take to sic the South Side Chicago Police on this guy?

St. Patrick's Day is next Wednesday and, like it or not, everyone is Irish on Saint Patty's Day. Irish ex-pat status isn't a stretch for me and my kids. We have the Belfast emigration paperwork, proudly framed, to document the voyage. I'll grab any excuse for a party, so St. Patty's Day is celebrated with Irish folk music, corned beef and cabbage.

According to Religious Facts.com, the feast day of St. Patrick has been observed in Ireland for hundreds of years on March 17. The fasting season of Lent bans were lifted this one day to celebrate with Irish pork (bacon) and cabbage; beef was too expensive.

It wasn't until the Irish immigrated to America, according to the Web site Irish Cultures and Customs, that corned beef was born.

"When the Irish emigrated to America and Canada, where both salt and meat were cheaper, they treated beef the same way they would have treated a 'bacon joint' at home in Ireland: they soaked it to draw off the excess salt, then braised or boiled it with cabbage, and served it in its own juices with only minimal spicing - may be a bay leaf or so, and some pepper."

Today's corned beef remains a cut of beef steeped in a similar, but more amplified, savory brine. Usually (and preferably) it is from the brisket. It would be far better to overcook the beef than undercook it; undercooked brisket is tough. If there's enough space in the pot, I add potatoes and carrots in addition to the cabbage.

And the Irish man who was courting my daughter? He's turned out to be of Norwegian lineage; he's also turned out to be her fiancé. What do I most like about him? His "blarney", of course!

Corned beef and cabbage are delicious served with soda or dark bread. Kiss us, we're Irish!

Yield: 4 servings
Active Time: 15 minutes
Simmer Time: 2-3 hours
Cost: Approx. $12

Ingredients

1, 2-3 pound corned beef brisket
1, 12 ounce bottle of your favorite beer (optional)
1-2 tablespoons pickling spices (often included in corned beef packaging) or 4 whole allspice berries
1 small onion, halved
6 black peppercorns
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces, optional
8 redskin (new) potatoes, optional
1 small head cabbage, cut into 4 wedges leaving stem a part of wedge

Ingredients for Savory Corned Beef mayonnaise (optional)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons horseradish
2 teaspoons brown or Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Directions

1. Place beef in a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add beer, if using, and enough cold water to just cover beef. Add pickling spices, peppercorns, onion and garlic.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pan tightly with foil and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer one hour for each pound of beef, turning beef halfway through cooking time. Beef is ready when a sharp knife tip can easily slide through the thickest part of beef. Transfer to a warm platter and tent with foil to retain heat.
3. Skim fat from broth and add whole redskins and carrots, if using, to broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook 15 minutes. Add cabbage wedges to broth, bring to a boil with the potatoes and carrots, reduce heat and simmer, covered, an additional 15 minutes or until cabbage, potatoes and carrots are tender.
4. To make the savory mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of horseradish, mustard and parsley, adding additional horseradish to taste. Serve with corned beef and cabbage.