12:43 AM 3/20/98
rfc

Pretty well the only thing you can do with oxtail is a stew. Oxtail is a very
tough meat, but very rich and full of flavour. Correctly cooked it comes out
tender and delicious.

In ideally a large cast-iron stewpot:

Brown the pieces of oxtail in a little cooking oil. You can do them one at a
time if you like, taking them out when they're brown all over and putting
them on a nearby plate. The aim of this is to seal in all the juices, not to
cook them.

The pot should have a fair amount of fat from the oxtail in it now. Don't
worry about any brown stuff burnt on to the bottom; It'll come off later.

Take out all the oxtail and throw in some vegetables, chopped into large
pieces (why large? They've got to survive another 3 hours of cooking).
Carrots, parsnips, possibly potatoes. Fry until sealed, and then add the
oxtail back in. Add salt and pepper. Grind some coriander seeds and add them.
Add any other seasonings you fancy.

Add liquid: Mostly water and either some *strong* beer or half a bottle of
wine. You could add a can of tomatoes too. (The point is to add slightly
acidic things here to break down the meat).

With the best version of this I ever made, here I added some dried Hunza
apricots (These aren't orange, squishy apricots, but are hard and brown - try
a health food store). Alternatively, add a handful of dried prunes (These add
a slight sweetness which combat the tomatoes).

Simmer for 3 hours. Do not allow to boil. Simmering makes meat tender,
boiling toughens it up.

Take a piece of oxtail out and verify that the meat falls off the bone. If
you have to eat it straight away, do so. If you can bear to cover the pot and
leave it for a day and then simmer again for half an hour do this instead -
the meat will be even more tender and all the flavours will have mingled.

In article <masseEpBp76.AMo@netcom.com>,
  masse@netcom.com (Jason Yee) wrote:
>
> sigmund11@webtv.net wrote:
> : Hiya...Does anyone have a suggestion for serving ox tail? I bought some
> : on sale and dont know what to do...bake, boil or soup. Any tips would be
> : appreciated....Thanks sig
>
> A quick and dirty recipe I've used in the past is to braise the
> tails in some wine/stock with vegetables.  Towards the last
> hour I stir in a couple to three tablespoons of creamy peanut butter.
> Yep peanut butter, its a variation of a dish I grew up eating in the
> Philippines.  I serve over rice or with a crusty bread.
>