Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
3 pounds combined beef shank and oxtail pieces
2 onions, quartered
2 ribs celery, halved
2 carrots, halved
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsley
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 quarts water

Cooking Recipe:

Place pressure cooker over high heat. Oil and salt the oxtail and shank pieces then sear in batches. Add remaining ingredients and cover with water, being careful not to fill above the cookers "maximum fill" line. (If your pressure cooker does not have a water line, fill the pot 2/3 full). Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that gathers at the surface. Cover and lock lid. Once pressure builds up inside the cooker, reduce the heat so that you barely hear hissing from the pot. Cook for 50 minutes.

Release pressure using your cookers release device (read that manual) or cool the cooker by running cold water over the lid for 5 minutes. Carefully opening the lid and strain squeezing the solids before feeding to the compost pile, or the dogs. Strain through a fine sieve or several layers of cheesecloth. Season and serve or use as a base for other soup recipes.

Ingredients:

Every time you make mashed potatoes, make a double batch, with Roquefort Potato Pie in mind for a supper later in the week. It's a very addictive recipe!

4 (12-ounce, 1 1/2-inch thick) sirloin New York strip steaks
2 tablespoons butter
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons black peppercorns

Worcestershire sauce, for brushing
Coarse salt
4 to 6 cups mashed potatoes (use leftover mashed or prepared packaged instant)
8 ounces Roquefort, crumbled
2 scallions, greens and whites, chopped
4 slices center cut bacon, chopped
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (16 ounce) bag triple washed baby spinach leaves
6 large white mushroom caps, sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Cooking Recipe:

Preheat grill pan to high heat. Remove meat from the refrigerator and unwrap. Let beef stand a few minutes, to take the chill off.

Heat a medium skillet over moderate heat. Add butter and sliced onions to a hot pan and season with salt. Saute onions for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramel in color, tender, and sweet.

Meanwhile, place peppercorns in a heavy-duty food storage bag. Hit peppercorns with a small, heavy frying pan to crack them. Baste meat with a little Worcestershire sauce on each side using a pastry brush. Coat steaks on 1 side with cracked black peppercorns. Grill steaks 5 minutes on each side for medium rare.

Meanwhile, heat leftover mashed potatoes on high in microwave oven for 5 minutes. If you are using instant potatoes, prepare to package directions and transfer warm potatoes to a mixing bowl. Stir cheese and scallions into the mashed potatoes. Heat a nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Coat the inside of pan with butter to aid in crusting. Spread cheesy potatoes in an even layer in the skillet and allow them to crust and brown on the bottom, 5 to 7 minutes. Cut the potato layer in half gently with a butter knife, careful not to scratch your nonstick surface. Fold one half over top of the opposite making a half moon shaped potato pie with a crusty outside and a cheesy, soft center.

While steaks and potatoes cook, brown chopped bacon in the small frying pan you used to crack the peppercorns over high heat. Transfer browned bacon bits to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Wipe out skillet and return to heat. Add 1 /2 cup balsamic vinegar to the pan and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, until vinegar is reduced by half and thick. Turn off heat. Pour spinach into salad bowl. Top with bacon and mushrooms. Whisk extra-virgin olive oil into warm vinegar and pour over salad. Toss salad and serve.

Season the cooked steaks with a little salt and remove to a carving board. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes for the juices to redistribute through the meat evenly. If you slice into a hot steak, the juices will run out and the first bite will be the only tasty one.

Slice steaks thin against the grain of the meat. Smother steak slices in onions. Cut potato pie into 4 wedges and serve along side steaks with spinach salad.