Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Braised Oxtail

My dad used to love this dish when I was young during those younger times, it was also not easy to find a good place that can serve a credible oxtail dish.

I decided to try my hand at making this dish myself, and in a way, dedicate this to those who are celebrating Father's Day next month and maybe use this recipe to whip up something for their dads.

To begin with, you can obtain oxtails these days pretty easily from places like NTUC Finest, and the Culina butchery does have a wide range of meats.

I would use about 4 cuts for a party of 2-3. Season the oxtails with salt and pepper and lightly brown them in a pan with olive oil for a minute or two just to seal the meat.

In a large pot, add some butter and saute some one onion and a third of an Australian leek until the flavors are well extracted. You want to get as much of the sweetness from the vegetables as possible.

Add in about 3 stalks of chopped celery and cook them until the flavors are also extracted. Once the vegetables start to get translucent, add in about a third of a bottle of red wine, preferably full bodied wines.

Simmering Away

Let it cook at high heat and somewhat reduced for a few minutes. Add in the oxtails into the mixture and pour in enough fresh beef stock to almost cover the mixture. I prefer to use the Campbell's beef stock as it is all natural and does not contain MSG.

You can add in potatoes and carrots to give it more texture to the stew and also the starch helps to give it a thicker consistency. Bring the entire mixture up to a boil.

Once it boils, reduce the heat to a very low temperature, and let it slowly cook for at least 2 hours until the meat is cooked and tender. If you want it to be even more tender and for the meat to fall off the bone, leave it to cook for another hour at low heat.

Once you are about to serve, add in a knob of butter to emulsify the stew and season with more pepper according to your taste.

To serve, simply plate the stew into a nice plate and there you have it. Classic Oxtail stew. It is hearty and delicious and suitable for a family meal.

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