What's cookin'?

A gentle and thoughtful prompting has lead me to follow through on one of my "promises" (laugh). Good to be held accountable.

I must say, one of the reasons I haven't been including recipes as often is because 1. I repeat the dishes I feel are worthy of including more often than you might guess
and 2. the guy that I got the following recipe from (linked to my blog under "He Rants, I rave" in case I want to find anymore of his good recipes...not to mention I really appreciate his writing) somewhat intimidated me in terms of the brilliance of his recipes.

Anyway, that's a poor reason not to write. Here's what's cookin' at my house tonight:

Oxtail soup:

Preheat oven to 500F
Toss oxtails in olive oil, salt, and pepper
Brown in oven in a roasting dish where they are easily accommodated, without touching, until well browned (about 20 minutes).

When they are all browned, remove from oven and set oxtails aside. Add butter to pan, scraping up browned bits. Gently fry 4 peeled and smashed garlic cloves for about a minute. Add a finely diced onion and fry until it is translucent. Add a mixture of finely diced carrot and celery (about two large carrots and two celery stalks). [Option: throw in a couple of teaspoons flour; fry for a couple of minutes to form a roux-a thickening technique]

Add the browned oxtail pieces and stir to coat. Pour in a bottle and a half of sturdy, dry red wine, a can strained tomatoes (then pour a splash of sherry in the box or can, swirl and pour in), two bay leaves, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, two heaping teaspoons of paprika and, a generous amount (a quart at least) of brown stock. Let simmer, skimming every 15 to 30 minutes, for three or more hours. When it nears completion, add a cup of dry sherry and a generous splash of Worcester Sauce. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper (you want a slight warmth on the back of the throat after you have swallowed, not an up-front burn).

When it is right, remove the pieces of tail and, using a very sharp paring knife, remove the meat. Chop the meat (especially if there are tough bits) and set aside. With a hand blender, puree the vegetables to achieve a velvety texture.

Put the meat back in the pot, cover with the soup, and bring back to temperature. Finish with more sherry (if needed). If it is too thick, you can cautiously thin with hot water, but be careful, because if you over thin, then you have no choice but to boil and wait.

Serve with a salad and French bread.