Stew is typically regarded as comfort food. For me, it's definitely comforting. But it can't be just any stew, with any cut of meat. It has to be oxtail stew.
Some people might find it to be a little exotic, but it's food I grew up with. This wasn't food from the restaurant. This was food from home. Mother hovered over a gigantic stockpot cooking this stew all day. It's a labor of love. Not that it's difficult to make; it's pretty easy actually. It just takes patience to get it done right.
Here's my spin on the recipe. I do this in two stages (over two days, because I find it easier, but it can be done in one) to assure maximum flavor.
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Oxtail Stew, serves 6-8
Stage One:
Ingredients:
3-4 pounds oxtails total (about 8-10 cut pieces total)
2 carrots, peeled, cut in big 3-4" chunks
4 stalks celery, cut in big 3-4" chunks
1 large onion, peeled, cut into 4 quadrants
12 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed but left whole (I LOVE garlic; you can use less if you want)
3-4 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp whole allspice
1 star anise
3 bay leaves
vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
Heat a big dutch oven with a tbsp of veg oil over med-high heat. Sear the oxtails in batches, on all sides. They don't need to be cooked through at this point; you're just looking for a good sear all around. Remove oxtails to a large bowl and set aside. Poor off all but 1 tbsp fat in the pot, then toss in the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Saute until the veg begins to soften. Pour in 3 cups of the beef broth and the red wine. Add all the spices and bay leaves (just throw it in there -- it will get strained out later). Nestle the oxtails back into the pot. There should be just enough liquid in there to barely cover the oxtails. Add in the 4th cup of broth if it looks like it needs more liquid. Cover, bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for at least 2 hours. Test the meat with a fork; it should come away from the bone easily. If it doesn't, simmer for up to an hour longer. When meat is tender, use tongs to remove the oxtails into a clean bowl (scrape off any spices that may get stuck to the meat). Carefully strain the liquid left in the pot into another big bowl and discard the veggies and spices. This is the point where I let the ox stock and ox meat cool. I wrap it up, put it in the fridge, and start cooking again the following day.
Stage two:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
the ox stock
the ox meat
1 carrot, peeled and chopped (or more, if you'd like)
8 ounces cleaned, quartered crimini mushrooms
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
12 big cloves garlic, minced (or less. did I mention that I love garlic?)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced
3 small yukon gold potatoes, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
Directions:
You can choose at this point to leave the ox meat on the bones, or pull it off. I prefer to pull all the meat off and discard the bones since it makes for a more pleasant eating experience. Check out the cold ox stock -- there should be a layer of solidified fat that floated to the top during the cooling process. Scrape it off into a small bowl, but don't throw it away. Yup, because the world is a crazy place, we're going to use that fat. Take about a tbsp of that fat and melt it in the big dutch oven. Saute the carrots, mushrooms and onions just until it softens. Add in the garlic and tomato paste and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add in HALF of the ox stock, the thyme and rosemary, all of the potatoes, and all of the ox meat. Bring to a simmer. While that's happening, warm a smaller pot to make a roux. Melt the rest of that ox fat (about half a cup -- if that freaks you out you can use butter, a neutral oil, or a combo of both), and add the flour. Stir mixture until it turns golden and nutty, just a couple minutes. Then gradually add the rest of the reserved ox stock to make a really thick gravy. Let it come to a boil to really thicken. Add this super-thick gravy back to the oxtail stew to create a nice smooth saucy consistency. This is when I add in the celery. I don't add the celery at the beginning because I like the celery to hold its crunch.
About 20 minutes later, when the potatoes are cooked through, the stew is done and delicious.
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You can serve this with crusty bread, over grits or polenta, or over plain white rice, which is how I like it.
Mom's always tastes better, but I think I get close. It's comfort in a bowl.
It was mighty tasty.
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