Volcano was a purebred Jersey bull calf born at Carrock Farm to a heifer who had been given to their herdsman one year as a Christmas gift. The bull grew up next to the herdsman's hacienda on the back forty until he was turned into a steer and turned out with the young heifers to live out his numbered days. When fall came and the pastures grew scarce, it was Volcano's time to make the ultimate sacrifice. But when the herdsman picked up his packages from our local butcher, he left behind a few of my favorite things and I made sure they ended up on my dinner plate instead of the compost pile. So, just what did I get?
The tongue, liver, kidneys, heart and my favorite...the tail! Nothing takes the chill off of a fall day like oxtail braised with vegetables. I added a quart of veal stock, some wine and a pint of heirloom tomatoes put up earlier in the season in a dutch oven and baked for the better part of the afternoon. After removing the oxtail from the sauce, I added some fresh wide egg noodles and topped with Telford Tomme. Jess brought home fresh greens from farmers market and I had baked some chocolate chip cookies with my farmstead butter, eggs from the chickens across the street and some Scharffen Berger dark chocolate chunks. 
Life is too short to eat tasteless and soulless food. 
Oh yummy. Oxtail is just like eating ribs, only better.
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