Food Glorious Food

Sometimes I feel like all we do around here is eat. PROBABLY because that IS all we do around here!! Today, I decided to share with y'all a few recipes of (mine) because it is that time of year, and I KNOW a few of you are missing the tasty treats we used to share together.
To start with, I am delivering the recipe for the Oxtail Stew Ron and I have made together for the last 12 years. But, it should be noted that the original recipe is mine and of course he has perfected it!Ingredients:

3 lbs Oxtail

1 large onion (cut into quarters)

6 cloves of garlic (whole pieces, can use roasted also if desired)

4 carrots (roughly chopped up large pieces)

4 medium potatoes (cut in halves)

Worcestershire sauce

Whole black peppercorns (6)

Salt

Up to 4 cups beef stock (water is OK too)

1/2 cup flour

1 can/bottle Guinness (large)

1/2 bottle nice red wine

(remember, if you can't drink it You should NEVER cook with it)

Method

Find a large heavy based pot, turn it on and get it burning hot.
Dust the oxtail with the flour and place into your pot. There should be enough

fat on the oxtail to brown the meat right away. If you are afraid it will burn, add a drop of olive oil. Turn the pieces of oxtail until browned nicely. Add a nice amount of Worcestershire.

Reduce heat a little & throw in the raw onion, and garlic.Let the onion and garlic cook until soft and tender. Slowly start to add the Guinness a small splash at a time. Let it reduce a little and caramelize with the juices coming from the meat. Keep adding the rest of the Guinness slowly like this. Add the 6 whole peppercorns & a decent pinch of salt.

Now, you can start adding your beef stock (or water). Just dump it all in.

Throw in your potatoes & carrots. Allow to cook for 30 minutes at a decent heat. Taste the broth. Adjust seasoning as desired. I usually go heavy on the worcestershire sauce early on in the process because I like that flavor.

Reduce heat to the lowest setting and allow to cook for at least 2 1/2 hours if not longer. We used to put ours into the chamber pot in our chambers stove (remember that cool stove in our kitchen on Craig ave. ?) and leave it there for an afternoon. http://www.chamberstoves.net/

Now, I feel like I have forgotten something...........................Oh yes!

The Wine. Get yourself a nice big glass of wine, sit down, put your feet up and get caught up on reading your favourite rag or blog! We always keep a loaf of sesame ciabatta (Shadeau in Cincy or Gourmet Tart in Galway) in the freezer for occasions like this. Pull a loaf out, stick in a hot oven for ten minutes and voila. As soon as you are ready to eat - break out a nice bottle of Cabernet or even a Shiraz. I assure you on a cold wet wintry evening this will go down a treat as you toast your toes in front of the fireplace!

That is all the yummy WiseWords for today,

WiseMóna