Chef Tony Rechsteiner
Food For Thought
Traditionally oxtails came from oxen, but over time they were harvested from any sort of cattle, including steers and veal. In culinary terms, oxtail refers to the tail of all types of beef cattle.
Usually weighing between two and four pounds, the tail is skinned and cut into short lengths for sale.
Oxtail is a bony, gelatinous meat, and is usually slow-cooked, often stewed or braised. It is an excellent stock base for a soup.
Versions of oxtail soup are popular traditional dishes in South America, West Africa, China, Korea and Indonesia.
It is also popular in Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad, and other West Indian cultures, where it appears as stewed oxtail with butter beans or as a main dish with rice. Oxtail is also eaten in southern parts of Africa such as Zimbabwe.
But because of the gelatinous nature of the meat, it is very flavourful and is still an excellent dish to make for cold winter meals.
Braised Oxtail
with vegetables
This is can be a two-day recipe if you want to remove all of the fat, or it can also be done in a slow cooker, just put the meats and vegetables into the slow cooker instead of braising.
Ingredients
1 kg large jointedoxtails
50 ml flour
5 ml salt
2 ml freshly groundpepper
25 ml butter
25 ml oil
2 slicesbacon, chopped
250 ml onions, chopped
375 ml choppedleeks, (white and tender green part only)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
125 ml finely choppedcarrots
1 bay leaf
5 ml crusheddried marjoram
750 ml beef stock
375 ml tomato juice
3 largecarrots
4 white turnips or rutabaga
Serves four.
Preparation
Combine flour, salt and pepper in plastic bag and shake oxtail in this mixture. In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter, add oil and brown oxtail on all sides. Remove meat from pan.
Add bacon to pan and saut for three to four minutes. Mix in onions, leeks, garlic and chopped carrots and cook gently for 10 minutes.
Return oxtail to pan along with bay leaf, marjoram, beef stock and tomato juice. Stir to scrape up any brown bits from bottom of the pan.
Cover and braise in 325F oven for two hours or until tender. Remove fat (if possible, chill overnight and lift off congealed fat). Remove oxtail with slotted spoon and place in clean saucepan.
Remove bay leaf and puree vegetables and liquid in blender, food processor or food mill. Pour over oxtail.
Peel carrots and slice thickly. Peel turnips or rutabaga and cut into two-inch chunks. Mix into sauce and simmer, covered, on top of the stove until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary. Serve with boiled potatoes or noodles and enjoy.
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This week's column is written by chef Tony Rechsteiner, who has been a chef for 39 years. Originally from Australia, he is a Certified Chef de Cuisine (CCC) and instructor in CNC's professional cook program.
