Forget nouveau cuisine - this St. Patrick’s Day put grandma in the kitchen! Thanks to Dunphy & Cork corned beef, it’s easier than you think.

The one great thing about St. Patrick’s Day is that it gives everyone a day to be Irish. And as everyone knows, the best place to get your green on is your local Irish pub.

As March 17 draws near, places all over town are stocking their kitchens, preparing to offer their customers a traditional Irish meal. The beginning of this journey usually starts with a visit to their local Restaurant Depot.

With over 80 locations across the country, Restaurant Depot has been a haven for foodservice business owners who want to offer their customers the finest products, and not having to spend a pot o’ gold in doing so.

One of these quality products creating quite a buzz these days is the premium label of Dunphy & Cork corned beef. Pub and restaurant owners have been increasingly turning to this brand over the last couple of years.

“Years ago there was a premium corned beef that almost every Irish pub used. The flavor and quality reminded the pub's patrons of old world Ireland,” says Gene Casazza, Restaurant Depot’s vice president of perishables.

“Over the years, with the changes of time, the flavor of the old world seemed to go away. With Dunphy & Cork, once again that old world quality has returned.”

Back in the 1600s, Co. Cork was the great producer of corned beef. The Irish brought their love of corned beef with them when they emigrated to the U.S., and here the meat would become a staple of the deli.

Today, corned beef and cabbage is widely served in the U.S. on St Patrick's Day in restaurants and bars catering to a diverse clientele.

Mary Warren, whose maternal grandmother, Mary Dunphy, arrived from Ireland in the early 1920s, remembers holidays at her grandmother’s house as huge gatherings.

“My grandmother had 15 children, and with their spouses and children combined, every gathering was a festive occasion that was filled with lots of noise, laughter and enchanting aromas coming from the kitchen. On St. Patrick’s Day, Grandma Dunphy would cook these enormous, delicious briskets, and that is the essence of Dunphy & Cork today,” says Warren.

Barrel cured and hand trimmed, Dunphy & Cork corned beef briskets come complete with a seasoning packet that captures the family kitchen experience of Grandma Dunphy. It no doubt has become the brand to serve up when it’s the finest quality that you desire.

Distributed exclusively by Restaurant Depot and Jetro Cash and Carry, Dunphy & Cork is available throughout the Northeast and New England.

For locations and more info go to www.restaurantdepot.com.

Below is a simple classic recipe from the Dunphy & Cork kitchen for classic corned beef and cabbage:

*1 Dunphy & Cork corned beef brisket, about 12 pounds w/ spice packet;

*3 pound carrots, trimmed, scraped, and left whole

*2-3 dozen small whole onions, peeled;

*18-24 medium potatoes, peeled;

*4 medium head of cabbage, cut in wedges;

*3 12 ounce bottles or cans of Irish stout beer (optional).

Place meat in a deep stock pot or kettle; cover with water. Add spice packet.

Bring to a boil; skim off foam. Simmering is best as opposed to a rapid boil (simmering leads to tenderness and a better yield.)

Simmering water temperature should be at 180 degrees. Add beer if desired.

Approximately five hours should be enough cook time as long as meat temperature is 160 degrees out of the water. If not return to the pot until that temp is achieved.

Add vegetables, simmer for about 50 minutes longer, or until vegetables and meat are tender.

Serve corned beef surrounded with vegetables. Serves 15-18 people.