French-Style Oxtail Stew

• 3 lbs. oxtails, cut in 1 inch lengths
• 2 tbsp. salad oil
• 4 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ tsp. whole thyme
• 5 whole black peppers
• 1 box (about 2 cups) fresh small boiling onions or 2 cans (1 lb. ea.) small onions, drained
• Water
• ¼ cup each flour and water
• ½ tsp. each salt and paprika
• 1/3 cup Madeira or dry sherry (optional)
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley

In a Dutch oven, brown oxtails on all sides in the salad oil. Add the 4 cups water, bay leaf, thyme, and black peppers. Cover, bring to boiling, and simmer about 2½ hours or until meat is tender. (Cover and refrigerate at this point, if you wish.)

If you use the fresh boiling onions, drop the whole unpeeled onions into boiling water and cook about 3 minutes. Pour off boiling water and immediately cool with running cold water. When cool enough to handle, cut a little X on root end with a sharp knife and gently squeeze onion out of the skin.

Skim fat from surface of the oxtail broth (allow 15 minutes to reheat if refrigerated). Then mix the flour and ¼ cup water until smooth and gradually stir into hot liquid; cook stirring until smooth and slightly thickened. Add cooked onions (fresh or canned), salt, paprika, and Madeira or sherry and simmer about 10 minutes. Add more salt to taste. Serve garnished with chopped parsley. Makes 4 servings.