Monday 5 October 2009

A Culinary Adventure!

Hello!
As you can see in this months recipe it will be the last regular recipe in the mag for a while as I am leaving the country for one year to explore other lands... well thats the plan! My husband and I are going to live in Spain for a while and hopefully we will then go to Australia and new Zealand to visit family, a rather late gap year but as I enter my 50th year I feel now would be a good time for an adventure! I will continue my blog with recipes and hopefully will find some new flavours to share with you all, so keep in touch.
This months recipe is my favourite and a well known dish in Andalucia , my grandmother would often have this bubbling away in the kitchen, the sauce is rich and yummy well worth the effort to make, and by making the day before it is an easy one for entertaining.
Whilst in Spain I will be doing some cookery courses in a beautiful Hacienda and also providing food and service for private dinner parties in peoples homes, so if you are interested please contact me on 07990966144. It is always nice to have your own personal chef and Im always ready for a challenge so if you have a property on the Costa Del Sol and want a special evening give me a call.
Meanwhile take care to you all and I look forward to sharing my news with very soon.

Camelia xx

Hasta Luego!

Hasta luego - I’ll be seeing you! Sadly this will be my last recipe for a while as I am going on an adventure for a year starting in Spain.
Our plan is to travel and see other parts of the world experiencing the culinary delights of other lands. Of course I shall be keeping in touch with Janine at Town & Village and hopefully making some guest appearances with some exciting recipes. My thanks go to all you readers and your lovely comments but especially to Janine and Ben who have always supported me. My blog will continue and I look forward to receiving your comments where I will always be happy to reply. So for now, keep well, keep happy and keep cooking!

Rabo De Toro Con Rioja

(Oxtail with Rioja) This recipe from Andalucia has to be one of my favourites. Succulent meat falling off the bone in a dark rich gravy. Oxtail is easily available from butchers and supermarkets and like all good stews, if possible, should be cooked the day before to allow the flavours to develop. I would recommend lots of crusty bread to mop up the lovely juices, but be warned, this one is a real finger sucking affair!

The day before
1.5 kg prepared oxtail cut into chunks
1 bottle of Rioja

1 onion cut into chunks

2 cloves of garlic

1 stick of celery cut into chunks

1 carrot cut into chunks

3 bay leaves

4 cloves

6 whole black peppercorns

A handful of parsley stalks

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 tblspns of olive oil

Salt and pepper


On the day
1 finely diced onion
1 finely diced carrot

120g chorizo cut into small chunks

1 tspn hot paprika

1 tspn sweet paprika

1 tspn fennel seeds

2 tblspns tomato puree

2 tblspns flour

2 tblspns olive oil


Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Season the oxtail and brown on all sides.
2. Take the oxtail out of the pan and tip away the excess fat then add the onion, carrot and celery.
3. Once the vegetables start to colour (about 5 mins) add the peppercorns, thyme, garlic, cloves and bay leaves, and fry for a further 2 to 3 mins.
4. Place the oxtail back into the pan, add the Rioja and parsley, and cover with water. Bring to
a simmer and cook on a low heat until the oxtail is tender (approx 2 hours). The meat should
easily fall off the bone when pulled, but not on its own.
5. Remove the oxtail into a large bowl, and strain the juices over the meat. Leave to cool then
place in the fridge overnight.
6. The next day skim off as much fat as you can. Heat the oil in a large pan. Caramelise the
onion and carrot stirring occasionally, then add the chorizo for 3-4 minutes followed by the
flour for 2 minutes and finally add the paprika, crushed fennel seeds and tomato puree.
7. Add the oxtail and all the stock. Simmer for 15 to 20 mins.
8. Let it stand for 5 mins and serve with mash or traditionally with fried potatoes.