December Dinner

100 Mile Dinner: December 2014

This is the final dinner in our 12-month series.   We set out to the Winter Market, hoping to find a new ingredient.  We decide on oxtail, which the farmer explains should be cooked over the course of the day.  We decide to make a stew, including some other market vegetables and some of our hardy garden vegetables.

Ingredients:

Oxtail (Surrey)

Frozen Kousa dogwood (East Vancouver)
Squash seeds, green vorlon tomato (frozen), garlic, celeriac, cabbage,  brussels sprout and rosemary (garden).

Eggs (Maple Hill Farm - Abbotsford)
Butter (The Farm House, Aggasiz)
Potatoes, kale (Cropthorne Farm, Delta)
Carrots, onion (Glorious Farm, Aldergrove)

Blueberries (Geldeman Farms, Abbotsford)

Sifted Wheat Flour (True Grain Mill's Red Fife, Duncan)

Hazelnut flour (Poplar Grove Arbour, Agassiz)
Mushrooms (Richmond)

Macro Kelp (Bamfield)

Honey (Valley Gold Bee co. honey, Abbotsford)

Sea salt (Vancouver Island Salt Company, Bamfield)

Oxtail Stew:

Place chopped garlic, celeriac roots and leaves, green tomato, & water in stock pot.  Bring to boil.  Fry oxtail in butter for 10 minutes.  Add to pot.  Fry chopped onion for 5 minutes; add to pot.  Add carrots, potatoes, and rosemary.  Simmer for 2.5 hours.  Add salt, mushrooms, kelp, brussels sprout and cabbage.  Simmer for another half hour.

Kale Salad:

Stir fry kale in butter and garlic for about 5 minutes.  Add some stew stock.  Cook for 5 minutes or until kale is tender.  Drain, and add salt and squash seeds.

Rosemary Tea:

Steep a couple rosemary sprigs for 10 minutes.   Add honey to taste.

Dessert:

Filling:  Process dogwood into puree.  Mix puree with 1.5 eggs, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons of honey.

Crust: Mix 3/4 cup of four, 1/4 cup hazelnuet flour, 1/3 brick of melted butter, 1/2 egg, and a pinch of salt into a dough.   Press into muffin cups, forming crusts.   

Pour in the filling, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.   Garnish with blueberries, squash seeds and the balance of the puree.

Comments: 

The oxtail is delicious, and infuses the vegetables with flavour.   The dessert is a keeper as well.  A mildly sweet filling balances out a dry, crumbly crust.  A delight!