Oxtail stew

We are still having chilly days in SC so we can still enjoy some of these delicious braised dishes.
One of my favorite one is Oxtail stew. I make it very rarely because it is not always easy to find Oxtails. It is one of these old recipes that a lot of chefs in France love to work with I don't really think it is use so much in the States. It is supposed to be a cheaper piece of meat, but really it is not
always pretty expensive considering that you get a lot of fat and bones on an oxtail. It is very much made as an Osso Bucco which is traditionally made with veal shanks.
I love it. The meat is a bit gelatinous, and it has thi delicious little bits of meat and the mallow and the bone cooking very slowly give a rich taste to the stew. Now in France we say, " la queue de boeuf c'est bon mais c'est gras" (Oxtails are good but they are fat) so it is important to degreased the dish . This dish being very delicious rewarmed I like to cook it the day before and it makes it easy to be degreased after it has been in the refrigerator
I have seen very sophisticated recipe of oxtails by French chef, and they look so good. I would like to
 try them sometimes but here is the rustic old recipe just like "grandmere " used to make.


Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 lbs of oxtail
3 cloves of garlic
1 medium yellow onion
6 medium carrots
2 branches of celery
2 turnips if you have them. you don't have to eat them, but they really give a good taste to the stew.
2 cups red wine
5 cups beef stock.
1 can stew tomatoes
1 branch of thyme. ( you could use dry thyme)
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup flour.
4 tbsp. butter softened
salt and pepper.

Instructions

Clean and chopped the onion and garlic.
Clean and slice the celery and the carrots.
In a large saucepan heat the olive oil
season the oxtails with the salt and pepper
Sauté the meat in the hot pan, work in batches
Cook until well browned 8 or 10 minutes.
Keep the meat on the side
 In the same pan sauté the vegetables but not the carrots
cook about 10 minutes or till golden.
deglaze the pan with the wine cook about 4 or 5 minutes
Put the meat back in the pan
add the stock, the tomatoes bring to a boil.

Add the rosemary the thyme and the laurel leaves.
Bring down the heat and cook covered, slowly.
I like to put it in the oven at this point, but it can be cook on the top of the stove.
the oxtails must cook till the meat fall apart at least 3 hours.
when the oxtails are cook add the carrots and cook about 20 minutes.
when everything is cook mixed the softened butter to the flour.
Add a little of the sauce to the butter and flour and mix
Put back in the pot cook10 minutes.

I love Oxtail stew with mash potatoes but you can eat it with rice too. What ever you like the best.

Bon appetite MiamMiam

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I find some oxtail in Piggly Wiggly in my neighborhood and I could not resist.

all about bread.fougasse

I love bread : French bread,some cheese, may be a few pieces of delicious salami and a glass of wine. This is one of my favorite comfort foods. When I was very small we lived in St. Remy in Provence. We bought our bread every day from the "boulangerie" so we had to get a few baguettes every day. It was a little walk from the house to the boulangerie but we did not own a car yet(can you believe it, my father was a captain in the merchant marine and we did not have a car ) . I have forgotten about a lot of things from that time but I did not forget the "boulangerie" and "la boulangere" Madame Blanc. When we went to get the bread for the day Madame Blanc would often  give us one delicious lollypop. The best ever. We called them" sucettes" and they were made by 'Pierrot Gourmand". They were displayed on a little stand with the figurine of the clown "Pierrot Gourmand" and I read somewhere that these stands have become  pieces of a collection and they are very expensive.    I went back to St Remy about 4 years ago ,  Madame blanc has been gone for a long time but the boulangerie is still here. On the pic on the right at the top you can see the street were the boulangerie is located and the sign over the shop.
Bread always has been very important in the life of french people and there is never a meal without bread on the table. When I go to France I always have  to visit the boulangerie in Antibes or Aix en Provence there so many different types of bread and" patisserie". It is just fun to look around and naturally to buy a few loafs.
By now you certainly get the idea that I love bread not only french bread but all kinds of bread. I like to experience with different types . Lately I am very fond of ciabatta which is delicious for sandwich,
I am not going to give you a recipe for french bread most french people do not bake their own bread they get it to the" boulangerie" which is better equipped to make bread. The ovens were always big giant brick ovens and there are still a few of them  and a pizza cooked in this oven is the best.
When I moved to the USA I really did miss my french bread and there was not much of any other bread but white loaf. Now things have definitely changed and it is possible to find delicious breads. Cosco has the most delicious frozen french baguettes. They are so practical. They can be thawed out in  about 10 mins and then popped in the oven and they are ready in about 15 mins . Publix has an excellent bakery and their breads are delicious.
I said I do not make french bread .but I make" Fougasse" the same bread italian make and call "focaccio".
"fougasse" is  very easy to make and does't need any special equipment.
here is my recipe for "fougasse

fougasse
ingredients
1 3/4 cup  warm water
1 package dry yeast
1 tbs sugar
5 cups all purpose flour and a little more for kneading
1 tbs Kosher salt
1 cup good virgin oil (a good tasting olive oil is very important in this recipe)
finally chopped rosemary

directions

Place warm water in a bowl add the yeast and the sugar. Mix and let rest for about 15 minutes.
In a bowl combine the flour 1 tbs  of the salt ,1 cup of olive oil  the chopped rosemary and the yeast mixture. when the dough is mixed and has come together continue to knead together for a few minutes the dough should be smooth and soft. That operation could be done in a mixer but I like to play with the dough.
Put a plastic wrap over the bowl and let it stand for about 1 hour in a warm place.

punch down the dough and roll it in a thin rectangle use a rolling pin.
Place the dough on a  baking sheet cut some slits in the dough ,let raise for 30 minutes
Brush the top of the fougasse with the rest of the olive oil and some salt.
bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees F for about 20 25 minutes
Notes :you can use different herbs for your fougasse , chopped dried tomatoes is also delicious.

           you can make a smaller fougasse and freeze the rest of the dough.
Easy and delicious!
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