Oxtail Soup (aka Jerseytail Soup)
January 29, 2008
Yes, oxtails are just what they sound like. But in our case, it’s more like jerseytails. Frankly, I had never cooked with them before, but several customers requested a recipe, so I decided to give them a try. And I’m so glad I did! Not surprisingly, the tail is full of cartilege, which makes a flavorful broth. It was a little bit more work, but definately worth the effort. I got the following recipe off the internet, but of course made a few changes.
First Day
3-4 pounds oxtails (jerseytails)
2 large carrots
2 stalks celery
1 leek (or 1 onion)
enough water to cover about 1 inch.
Simmer all of the above 3-4 hours. Pick out the tails to cool, strain the broth (discard the veggies – I cool and feed to the outside cats. They LOVE it.). Put the broth in the fridge to cool overnight so the fat can be picked off the next day. Pick the meat off the bones and refrigerate. I froze the bones to continue cooking them another day.
Second Day
The next day, put 12 tablespoons lard or coconut oil in a kettle and start cooking up 1 chopped onion. Cook about 5-10 minutes, and then add 2-3 chopped carrots and 2-3 cloves minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. Add meat that you picked off the bone yesterday and ½ bottle while wine (see note below)*. Also add about 1 quart of the broth that you cooked the tails in. Use more if you feel you need to. Finally, add some chopped tomatoes. I used 1 -14.5 oz. can whole, peeled Glen Muir tomatoes (I diced them up a bit) plus whatever tomato sauce is in the can.
At this time also add: 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, pinch nutmeg. I know it sounds weird. Just try it.
Simmer the whole pot 1 ½ to 2 hours. Enjoy.
*White wine note. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. If you make this without the wine, it will taste like any other beef stew. The alcohol in the wine cooks off, so you don’t have to worry about woozy children. It adds a flavor dimension that cannot be substituted. I used a California Viognier (Voy-neeay’). The rule of thumb with cooking with wine: if it isn’t good enough to drink by the glass, don’t cook with it. It doesn’t have to a great wine, but it should be an okay wine. Drink the other half of bottle with your honey by the fire.
Kale and Potato Gratin
January 23, 2008
from “Joy of Cooking” (Simon and Schuster, 2006).
1 large bunch kale (about 1 pound), washed well, sliced and deribbed. (The center rib of kale is not really eatable.)
4 medium Yukon Gold (or other all purpose potatoes [about 1.25 pounds])
2 small onions
2 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon minced tarragon (go ahead and use dried)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups milk or half and half cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 quart shallow baking dish.
Steam kale (or gently saute) until almost tender, 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and cut potatoes (I leave the skins on myself), and onions into 1/8-inch thick rounds. Drain kale (if steamed) and let stand until cool enough to handle. Press out excess water and coarsely chop. Build up alternating layers of potatoes, onions and kale (2 layers each) in baking dish, beginning and ending with potatoes and dotting each onion layer with butter, mincer tarragon, salt and peper. Pour milk or half and half over the top.
Cover and bake in preheated oven until potatoes are tender and almost all liquid is absorbed, 30 to 45 minutes. Place under broiler, if desired, to brown the top.
Meet Real Free Range Eggs
January 22, 2008
from Mother Earth News. For the complete study, go to motherearthnews.com/eggs.
There is mounting evidence that hens raised in natural (outside) environments produce eggs that are nutritionall superior to those of their caged peers. Beware however, that cage free does NOT mean pasture? According to the USDA labeling glossary, as long as hens are “allowed access to the outside”, producers can call their eggs free-range. Oftentimes though, that only means a small opening where hens could go outside, regardless of whether or not they ever would go. Terms such as pastured and farm raised aren’t defined at all.
So, eggs from hens raised on pasture (versus confinement) may contain as much as:
1/3 less cholesterol
1/4 less saturated fat
2/3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
3 times more vitamin E
7 times more beta carotene
Think of THAT next time you buy a dozen eggs.
Get the E. Coli Off the Menu
January 20, 2008
from The Chicago Sun-times, November 14, 2007, pg 43, by Richard Laurnet – Special to the Sun Times
“The federal government wants us to swallow yet another load of crap. But don’t worry, it’s cooked, so it’s considered safe.
Meat contaminated with the E. coli bacteria is OK to sell if – get this – it is cooked first. The federal government has allowed American meat companies to feed the nation tainted meat with this caveat.”
“Now federal meat inspectors have disclosed a little-known fact: A U.S. Agriculture Department regulation allows processing plants to sell meat that tests positive for E. coli. The only stipulation is such meat carry a “cook only” label, a practice that allows companies to profit from millions of pounds of bad meat. The USDA defended the rule, saying commercial cooking kills the bacteria and renders it safe to eat. This type of meat is usually sold as precooked hamburger, meatloaf and taco filling.”
“Consumers may never again look at such pre-cooked “convenience” products the same way. After all, where’s the convenience in gagging, retching and diarrhea? If this loophole isn’t closed soon consumers will consider anything the government says about food safety just a load of, well, you know.”
Just Say Hay: Feed Cows Grass, Not Corn, to Avoid E. Coli
January 20, 2008
From The Chicago Sun-times, November 8, 2007, “Letters to the Editor”
The followin are just bits and pieces of the whole article. I’ve tried not to take anything out of context.
“For nearly 10 years, we’ve known how to prevent E. coli contamination of our food supply. And yet we continue to wait for an illnuess, and then reall any meat that might be contaminated.”
“The E. coli problem lies in what happens inside the cow’s stomach. When corn replaces grass as the primary diet, it changes the bacteria inside the rumen, the “final filter” of digestion. With a grass diet, most of the microbes never make it past the stomach acid. But inside the corn-based bacteria lurks a man-made cuprit. It was discovered in 1980: a new strain of a common intestinal bacterium, E. coli 0157:H7. It causes diarrhea, abdominal cramps and even death.”
“In 1998, scientists from Cornell University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that grain-based cattle diets promote the growth of this acid-resistant strain of E. coli. They observed that changing the diet from grain to hay – the natural, dried-grass diet of cattle – for only five days before slaughter could reduce E. coli bacteria by 80%.”
“What are we to think? Headlines about meat recalls seem commonplace. Solutions range from irradiating meat to cooking at high temperatures. But the easiest and least expensivbe is changing the diet from grain to hay for the final five days before a feedlot harvest. Andy yet it is not among the options being considered by the beef industry.”
Feeding By-products From Ethanol Industry An Attractive Option
January 19, 2008
Snippet from The Wisconsin State Farmer, January 18, 2008
Kay’s note: Does anyone else see a parallel between the distillery dairies back in the 20’s and this?
“The roll of ethanol and biodiesel – as fuel sources and co-product feeds for the livestock industry – is growing. With traditional feed prices on the rise, feeding byproducts from the growing ethanol industry is becoming an attractive option – assuming producers resolve the fiber and unsaturated fat challenges.”
FDA rules on safety of meat, milk from clones
January 19, 2008
Snippets from The Wisconsin State Journal, January 18, 2008
Kay’s note: Organic products (milk, meat, etc.) are NOT allowed to be from cloned animals.
“After years of debate, the US Food and Drug Administration officially ruled this week that meat and milk from cloned animals is safe.”
“But while one US official made the safety announcement, another asked owners of cloned animals to continue a ‘voluntary moratorium’ until market acceptance catches up with the scientific safety assessment.”
“Trade officials were reportedly critical of the FDA’s assessment as the agency prepared to release it to the public, knowing that products from clones are a tough sell to some US export markets, notably Japan and Europe.”
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