Oxtail Stew in Slow Cooker - Succulent and Delicious!

Oxtail Stew - Slow Cooker

In Slow Cooker ready to start!

Oil 2-3 tbsp, Oxtail meat 1 and 1/2 lbs, chopped - 1 large onion, 2 large carrots, 4 stalks celery, 2 tomatoes.  Seasoning - salt and pepper, flour to coat meat. Bacon 3-4 rashers, chopped and lightly browned in oil. Tomato paste 2 tbsp. Beef or chicken stock 2 cups, wine or sherry 1/2 cup, balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp, brown sugar 1 tbsp, peppercorns 8, bay leaves 3, chopped parsley / gremolata.

Served same night - very tasty broth not thickened - fat removed with paper towels 

Season meat with salt and pepper then cover in flour (shake of excess), heat oil to medium, brown oxtail all over.  Brown bacon and mix in tomato paste. Place in slow cooker with chopped veg and all other ingredients.  Put on low cook for 6 hours.  Serve with potato mash and greens.  

Only bones remain - was delicious!

If you can wait (the delicious aromas will make you hungry) put in fridge overnight so fat rises and all hardened fat can be easily removed.  You can then thicken the stock by boiling to reduce and add flour if needed to make a tasty gravy, remove the succulent meat from the bones or leave on bone and serve with fresh chopped Italian parsley or gremolata (chopped herb condiment classically made of lemon zest, garlic, parsley and anchovy) over stew on mashed potato (can also do a mix of pumpkin and potato) and seasonal greens.

Fast No-Knead Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (360 gms)
1/4 teaspoon yeast (active dry or instant)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups hot water, not boiling (355 gms) - I use hot tap water - about 125-130° F
(about 2 Tablespoons extra flour for shaping)



Instructions:

Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Stir in water until it’s well combined.
Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours.
After 3 hours dough will become puffy and dotted with bubbles. Transfer it to a well-floured surface and sprinkle dough with a little flour. Using a scraper fold dough over 10-12 times & shape into a rough ball.
Place in a parchment paper-lined bowl and cover with a towel. Let stand on counter top for about 35 minutes.
Meantime place Dutch oven with lid in a cold oven and preheat to 450° F. My oven takes 35 minutes to reach 450°.
When oven reaches 450° carefully, using oven gloves, lift the parchment paper and dough from the bowl and place gently into the hot pot. (parchment paper goes in the pot too) Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove lid and parchment paper. Return, uncovered, to oven and bake 10 - 15 more minutes.

Nana's Farm Soup - Lamb Shanks and Vegetables - Irish Scotch Broth

Ingredients
2 lamb shanks, 1 cup pearl barley, 2 onions, 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots, 1 swede, 2 small turnips, 2 parsnip, one tomato, 1 leek, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce.
Chopped flat leaf parsley or green shallots to serve.
Heat oil in a large pot or fry pan.
Add shanks and cook over a medium heat until browned on each side.

In a slow cooker, a saucepan on the stove or, for those in a hurry, in a pressure cooker. place all ingredients and cover with 2–3 chicken or vegetable stock with a cup of V8 juice (optional).
Additions Optional - to suit your taste:
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
Add diced fresh or canned tomatoes
Small new potatoes
Smoked streaky bacon
Bacon bones
Garlic cloves
Add parsley stems for added flavour - if left whole they are easy to remove before serving
Lemon thyme
Dill
Frozen peas
Dry soup mix
White wine or red wine or beer or stout

Substitute soup mix with brown or white rice, pasta or baked beans

Japanese Style Ramen Noodles

Ramen Noodles:

700ml chicken or pork stock (home made is best), 3 garlic cloves, halved, 4 tbsp soy sauce plus extra to season,1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, thumb-sized piece of ginger sliced, ½ tsp Chinese five spice, pinch of chilli powder, 1 tsp white sugar (optional), 375g ramen noodles, 400g sliced cooked pork, green prawns, chicken, 2 tsp sesame oil

Vegetables:
Broccoli, yellow beans, green beans, water chestnuts, sugar snap peas, capsicums,  carrot, onion, capsicum, baby corn, bamboo shoots

Additional if desired:
baby spinach, 4 tbsp sweetcorn, 4 boiled eggs peeled and halved, 1 sheet dried nori, finely shredded, sliced green spring onions or shallots, sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

More:  Ramen (/ˈrɑːmən/) (拉麺, ラーメン rāmen, IPA: [ɾaꜜːmeɴ]) is a Japanese dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat or (occasionally) fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork (叉焼 chāshū), dried seaweed (海苔 nori), menma (麺麻), and green onions (葱 negi). Nearly every region in Japan has its own variation of ramen, from the tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen of Kyushu to the miso ramen of Hokkaido.

A wide variety of ramen exists in Japan, with geographical and vendor-specific differences even in varieties that share the same name. Ramen can be broadly categorized by its two main ingredients: noodles and broth.

Scene from Japanese movie Tampopo helps explain Ramen - Master of Ramen Scene

To make perfect ramen yourself start with stock - Tonkotsu-ramen-broth-at-home