Corned beef Spread

 I am sure there are many people of Goan origin like myself that have many family memories around a simply prepared corned beef spread.  As a child there were some staples along with bread, milk and eggs that were always in the kitchen pantry.  For my mother the pantry was not complete without a can or two of corned beef.  I can still picture the can of Hereford Corned Beef with a picture of a large cow's head on the label.

 As a child I was fascinated with the little key that came loosely attached to the side of the can and was essential for opening the can.  My dad would always have the honor of opening the can for my mum. For a child it was an impressive exercise watching my dad place the key on a little slip of metal on the side of the can and then twist the key so that the metal would wind along the key causing a clean cut so that the lid of the can came off eventually.  No matter how much I begged to have a go at opening that can I was bluntly denied the opportunity.

Aside from providing amusement to my child's mind, corned beef played an integral role in my growing- up years. It was a stand-in for those days when my mother wanted to prepare a simple alternative to a home cooked meal, and we would devour corned beef sandwiches prepared  simply and lovingly.  When guests dropped by unexpectedly for tea mum would be able to quickly provide her guests some nourishment in the form of these tasty sandwiches cut up neatly into hors d'oeuvre size pieces.

Of course they were also great traveling companions for road trips and nights at the Drive-In Cinema. For outings our sandwiches were accompanied with individual Tupperware tumblers for each of the children filled with Ribena and a flask filled with hot coffee for my parents. Each of us (four children) had our own colored tumbler so that we could nurse that Ribena at our own pace without another sibling taking a gulp of someone else's share "by mistake".

As children spending our early years in East Africa there was another very practical need for that corned beef can in the pantry.   In the event of a power failure mum would be able to feed her brood without the electrical conveniences we relied on.   Mum would chop the ingredients accompanied only by candle light, add them to the corned beef and serve up her sandwiches. These nights were memorable as we sat around our dining table chatting in the eerie shadows that the burning candle would throw on the walls and ceilings. 

As an adult I now know the meaning of  "we all become our mothers eventually".  I too always have a can of Corned Beef  stashed in my cupboard for a "rainy day" and my husband opens the can when needed.   My old friend the cow looking back at me from the pantry evokes so many childhood memories and my eyes mist as I remember my dad who passed away two years ago.

 Ingredients

1 large tomato
1 large onion
1 -2 green Serrano chilies (remove the seeds if you do not like it hot))
2 tablespoons of vinegar (or to taste)

 Method

Finely chop the onion, tomato and green chilly. Add the vinegar to the ingredients and set aside.

Open the can of corned beef and place the beef in a dish.

Using a fork break up the corned beef so it is completely shredded.

 Add the chopped ingredients and mix well.

Check if more vinegar is needed for your liking. 

Spread on sandwiches or eat with crackers.

Approximate nutritional value based on 6 servings per can of 340 g
Calories 134 /total fat 8.3 g/ total carbs .5 g/ total protein 14.5 g