[KYHeirloomer]

I see you were interested in oxtails as well. Basically, you make them by braising in whatever liquid and veggies you prefer. If you have a preferred beef bourginon recipe, just use that.

One trick, if you're going to serve them whole, is to tie them, just as you would osso bucco, so that they don't fall apart.

The other night I made some specifically to turn into a cottage pie, so didn't bother with the tying. Here's what I did:

Season the oxtails with salt & pepper.In a large (preferably cast iron) pot, sear the oxtails until they have color on all sides. Set aside.

Add a coarsely-chopped mire pois (onions, carrots, celery, and garlic) to the pot. Saute until slightly softened. Lay the oxtails on top of the veggies. Add 1 cup ruby port and enough beef stock to come 3/4 up the meat. Cover tightly and simmer until meat is very tender, 2-2 1/2 hours. Alternatively, transfer pot to a slow oven, and cook them that way.

Transfer the oxtails to a platter. Strain the liquid and discard the mire-pois veggies. In the same pot, saute preferred veggies. I use whole cippolini onions when available. If not, boiling onions will do. Carrots, potatoes, etc. all cut the same size as the onions. Once they've taken on color, return the strained liquid to the pot and cook veggies until tender. Return the oxtails to the pot to heat through.

If you want to make a cottage pie, as I did, dice the veggies smaller, but leave out the potatoes. Instead, bake some potatoes, rice them, and add whatever seasonings you like, along with some butter, grated cheddar, and sour cream. Mash them well.

When the diced veggies are soft, remove them and reduce the liquid until slightly thickened. Meanwhile, strip the meat from the oxtails, discarding the bones and most of the fat.

Combine the meat, veggies, and reduced liquid in an oven-proof dish. Pipe a ring of mashed potatoes around the surface, leaving the middle open. Dot the potatoes with butter, sprinkle with paprika, and bake in a 350F oven until the potatoes are browned and the "pie" is bubbly. Serve hot.

[Shut Up And Cook]

Fantastic...thanks so much! Was actually just doing this week's meal plan so this is perfect timing. Really appreciate the recipe!
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[KYHeirloomer]

Hope you enjoy it. If you have trouble finding oxtails, beef shank works just as well. It's just a little less fatty, is all.

[KYHeirloomer]

Just noticed a typo in my gnocchi recipe posting. For some reason I had typed "stiff" dough. That should have been "soft" dough. I've changed it, but in case anyone doesn't see it, be aware.

I've just found a recipe I like even better. In his new Fresh From The Market, Laurent Tourondel has a recipe for Baked Gnocchi with Porcini, Gorgonzola, Prosciutto, Walnuts & Sage. His gnocchi recipe makes a beautiful, easy to work with dough. Here it is:

2 lbs russet potatoes, baked, riced, and mashed
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tbls recotta
1 1/2 cups (about) all purpose flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp freshly ground white pepper

In a large bowl combine the potatoes with the egg, egg yolk and recotta, then add 1 cup of the flour, the cheese, salt, nutmeg and white pepper. Mix well. If the dough is sticky, add flour, a little at a time, until the dough is easy to handle.

Divide the dough into 6 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 3/4-inch thick ropw. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces.

Oil a large rimmed baking sheet. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add one third of the gnocci to the boiling water and cook until the float to the surface, about 2 minutes. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, draining them well, and spread them on the oiled baking sheet. Repeat cooking the remaining gnocchi. The gnocchi can be made up to 24 hours in advance, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated until ready to use.

My notes: If you're going to serve these as regular gnocchi, there's no sense holding them over-night. Make them, then finish as desired.

Most instructions for using a fork to groove gnocchi are incomplete. If you press the fork into the gnocchi you'll mostly deform them. Instead, use the back of the fork and roll the gnocchi across the tines. This comes close to replicating the effect of a gnocchi board.

[dory]

Hi Kathy,

I just looked at your blog (very nice!) while looking for your recipe for vegetarian chili. I have not found a recipe I really liked.

While looking at your photos, I saw one of a display of root vegetables, including what looked like PINK carrots. I was pretty interested and excited. I have seen orange and now yellow and purple carrots, but not pink if that is what they were. What are the vegetables you photographed?

Dory

[FilliP]

I'm making a meat of beaf with sour cream and potatoes. Mmmm...

[LibbyR]

This week the forecast ranges from 32C-39C all week. We are eating many different salads, and rice paper rolls work well too, and BBQ obviously. But what else can we do that doesn't involve turning the oven on?

[KYHeirloomer]

For starters, Libby, you could move someplace where the seasons aren't cocky-whompus.

I'm assuming you don't want to turn on the stove so as to not heat up the house. Keep in mind, though, that's there isn't much you can cook inside that you can't cook on a grill. It is, after all, just a source of heat. So think beyond the usual barbecue stuff.

That aside, cold soups can be nice when the temperatures soar. Sometimes it's fun, too, to combine them with other stuff. For instance, if I make gazpecho, I might serve it in cups made from hollowed-out cucumbers.

[dory]

Hi Libby

I have discovered that slow cookers don't heat up the kitchen as much as using the stove-- especially if you cook on low and make sure the lid is on tight. I have also discovered due to a very hot un-airconditioned kitchen that you can get quite inexpensive oversized toaster ovens that can go out on any porch that has access to electricity-- even through an extension cord. I have even baked bread in mine. That gives you access to some dishes (soups, home made baked goods) that you might not normally make in summer. Imagine a quiche on a hot summer's day. You could even cool it and eat it room temperature. (I use a rectangular or oblong dish instead of a pie plate to fit into the oven better.) I have a ledge on my porch that I refer to as my "summer kitchen." Rural people here in Wisconsin (USA) used to quite often have separate sheds to use as a summer kitchen. I even tried a hot plate but it didn't get hot enough. Mine wouldn't even boil water.

Dory

[KYHeirloomer]

I was never enamoured of hotplates, Dory. Lack of heat being just one of the reasons.

Then I discovered gas operated ones. These work off of butane cartridges, and provide as much heat as you possibly need. Essentially they work like your kitchen stove.

Their advatages: Portability and price. They're actually rather inexpensive, running $25-40. I buy them at a local Asian market, but I'm sure they're available in other places.