Beef Stout Stew

0.5 lb beef stew meat
1.0 lb oxtail
0.25 c pearl barley

1 med yellow onion
2 carrots
2 med waxy potatoes (yukon gold)
3 cloves garlic

1.0 c oatmeal stout
2 c stock of choice

2 Tb flour
salt
pepper
3 bay leaves

Oil and salt stew meat, then sear in bottom of pressure cooker. Set aside stew meat and oxtail separately. Sauté diced onion in rendered beef fat, adding garlic toward end. Add flour to create roux. When roux is complete, add stout and scrub fond off bottom of pot. Re-introduce seared oxtails, add barley and stock. Bring to a simmer and lock pressure cooker. Simmer at pressure for 25 minutes. After releasing pressure, remove lid and add carrots and potatoes to pot. They should be cut in spoon-friendly sizes. Salt and pepper to taste, then simmer for 15 minutes. Finally, re-introduce seared stew meat and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Once done, remove bay leaves, remove bones from oxtails and shred associated meat. Serve with crusty warm bread and plenty of chopped parsley on top.

Calling on Mom

I asked my Mom about her Minestrone recipe. One of my favorites and a frequent dinner at our house as a kid. Here's her response:

When I first started making that we lived on Palm St. in San Luis Obispo and there were a bunch of boys who lived next door (Dad and they built a massive deck between our two houses) and they did a LOT of barbqueing whole cut up chicken. So I started having them give me the chicken backs, and I made stock---yes I did.

The chicken backs make awesome stock. (I made it the day before and refrigerated it to peel off the fat.) Then i would saute onions and carrots. You have the rest of the typical ingredients right....I consider a clove of chopped garlic to be absolutely necessary, and zucchini is a must, and finally the SECRET de riguer ingredient is at the last ten minutes, add a cup or two of sliced cabbage. The only herb I use is dried basil. I add all the tomatoe liquid when I add the large can of tomatoes. Use the good ones (sliced style.)

Ideally I would use at least two chicken backs for my soup pot size. Four would be better. I don't put anything else in there, but you could.

Don't forget parmesean on top (silly me of course you won't)
Love,
Mom