Jiggs' Dinner | Newfoundland Salt Beef and Boiled Vegetables

Rinse the beef that has soaked overnight, place it in a large pot, and cover with 3.5 l cold water. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam. Add the black pepper, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 90 minutes; a rolling boil can tighten the meat fibers and leave the beef dry.

Rinse the yellow split peas and place them in a clean cloth bag. Tie the bag with enough room for the peas to expand to twice their volume. If the bag is tied too tightly, the peas will not have room to cook through and may remain hard in the center. Lower the bag into the pot beside the beef.

Add the turnip and carrots, cut into large pieces, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes, quartered, and cook for 18 minutes more. The vegetables should offer slight resistance when pierced with a knife; if they become completely soft, they will fall apart when lifted from the pot.

Cut the cabbage into six wedges, keeping the core intact, and place them on top of the other ingredients. Cook for 16 minutes. The wedges should stay connected at the core; otherwise, the leaves will fall apart in the pot. By the end of this time, the beef should pull apart easily with a fork.

Remove the bag and untie it. Tip the peas into a warm bowl, add the butter and 2 g black pepper, and mash with a fork until firm enough to hold on a spoon. Transfer the beef to a cutting board and rest it for 10 minutes, then slice across the grain. Lift the vegetables out with a slotted spoon and arrange them beside the beef. Serve the pea mash in a bowl, with a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid poured over the plate.