January 21, 2005
(via Mike Daley):
Oxtail Stew (Simply Recipes)
IngredientsPosted by Orrin Judd at January 21, 2005 7:25 AM3 pounds oxtails with separated joints
Salt and pepper
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups stock
1 cup water
2 cups of red wine
2 to 3 cups chopped vegetables - carrots, celery, parsnips, turnips
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 garlic clove, minced
Thyme (pinch of dried or few sprigs of fresh)
1 bay leafInstructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season oxtails with salt and pepper. Sear in a
tightly covered casserole dish on all sides until golden brown. Add 1/4 cup
onion and cook until translucent. In a separate pan, heat stock, water and
wine together. Add stock mixture to meat in casserole pan. Add a teaspoon of
salt and pepper. Bring to simmer. Place in oven and cook for 3 hours. Remove
from oven, add the rest of the onion, vegetables, raisins, tomato paste,
garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Return to the oven and cook for another hour.
Remove from oven, let cool overnight. The next day, skim the fat off the
top. Reheat to a simmer, remove bay leaf, serve.
Sounds good, except ditch the water and use more wine or stock. Water is only good for making stock: it adds nothing in terms of flavor. Also, add the tomato paste when the onions are about 1/2 done so the tomato paste will turn a nutty brown by the time the onions are finished.
Cooking (pince - French term, unfortunately) tomato paste will remove the tinniness and add an additional layer of flavor. Do this for chili, etc. Never add raw tomato paste.
I am agnostic about the raisins as they don't seem right without Middle-Eastern or North African spice influence (cinnamon, etc.) or with the turnips and parsnips.
Posted by: Rick T. at January 21, 2005 10:02 AMRick T.
This one is my favorite dish of all time, oj, however, rejected on his churlish hatred of lima beans.
Oxtail and Lima Bean Stew
1 pound large dried lima beans
1/2 cup olive oil
4 to 4 1/2 pounds oxtails
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 medium onions, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 jalapeño chili, seeded, chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups canned beef broth
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Place beans in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 2 hours. Drain.
Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over high heat. Season oxtails with salt and pepper. Working in batches, coat oxtails with flour; shake off excess. Add to Dutch oven and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer oxtails to platter.
Drain all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pot. Add all onions, garlic, ginger, thyme, oregano, jalapeño, pepper and bay leaves. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add wine, 1/2 cup broth, sugar and oxtails. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
Add lima beans and 1 cup broth to stew. Cover and simmer until oxtails and beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Skim any fat from surface of stew. Season to taste with salt.
OJ:
My wife's not as hesitant and non-commital as you appear to be. She says, lima beans ARE profanity!