Gluten-free Gourmand

When I created my Gluten-free Quinoa Pancake Recipe , I promised to give you a variation on it soon. That was six months ago. Since then I have been diligently trying to come up with a new twist on the recipe. Well, here is my variation: Substitute 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour for the 1/2 cup of quinoa flour. Why did that take me six months to figure out, when I was pretty sure that it would work from the beginning? Buckwheat is a fairly complicated foodstuff. It can be processed and milled in a variety of ways before it hits the shelf. I was trying to manipulate this recipe using a buckwheat flour that I wasn't familiar with, and which had a completely different consistency and grind than what I was used to. The flour kept absorbing too much of the liquid, producing a gummy, thick batter that was nearly impossible to cook. I ended up switching to Bob's Red Mill Organic Buckwheat Flour , even though it is not one of their specially processed "certified gluten...

The trick to cooking a good oxtail soup is to cook it long and slow. Braising the meat in this manner makes it very tender, and the bones make for a great broth in this hearty soup. This is the perfect food for the season. Oxtail Soup In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat: 2 Tbsp Olive oil Saute: 3 cloves garlic, whole 1/2 carrot 1 bunch green onions, chopped (reserve some for garnish) Brown in the pot on all sides: 2.75 lbs oxtail Deglaze the pan with: 1 1/2 cup white wine Add: 12 Cups warm water 5 large leaves of kale 1 tsp whole peppercorns 2 sticks celery, chopped a rind of Parmesan (optional) 5 leaves fresh sage 3 tsp salt Cook on a low simmer for several hours, skimming off any impurities on the surface, and stirring occasionally until the meat is very tender. When the soup is nearly done, remove the oxtails and strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or some cheesecloth. Put the liquid and the oxtails back in the pot and heat to a simmer. Add: 1 bunch kale 3...