Try Steaming on St. Patrick’s Day

Steaming is an easy and healthful way to make the traditional St. Paddy’s Day feast. It’s great for the vegetables, and it works wonderfully for the corned beef too. You’ll find steaming makes the meat firm, full-flavored and not at all stringy.

To steam the corned beef, just line a steamer basket with the large outside leaves of a cabbage and set the meat on the leaves. Steam 21/2 to 3 hours. Start steaming the vegetables when the corned beef has just 30 minutes left to go.

While the potatoes and cabbage are steaming, make the caraway yogurt sauce. Toasting the caraway seeds brings out their flavor when combined with the yogurt, onion and garlic.

* Plate from California Marketing Associates at L.A. Mart in Los Angeles.

Steamed Potatoes With Cabbage

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 35 minutes

I like to use red potatoes.

2 boiling potatoes, cut into quarters then crosswise into thirds

1/2 small green cabbage, cut into 4 wedges

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Nonstick cooking spray

1 teaspoon grated onion

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain yogurt

Place the potatoes in a steamer basket set over simmering water. Arrange the cabbage wedges in a single layer over the top of the potatoes. Cover them and steam until the potatoes and cabbage are tender, about 25 minutes.

While the vegetables are steaming, toast the caraway seeds in a small skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat, stirring, until the seeds turn light brown and are fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove them from the heat and cool slightly. Stir the seeds, onion, garlic and salt into the yogurt until blended.

Divide the steamed vegetables among serving dishes and spoon over the caraway yogurt.

4 servings. Each serving: 81 calories; 482 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 1.97 grams fiber.