Most people have strong opinions about chewing on bones. Some people, particularly rib lovers, can make a whole meal out of a plate of bones. Others prefer prime filet mignon with little chewing required and no messy fingers.
Oxtails, full of bones yet packed with flavor, are sure to please those who don`t mind the mess. Some cooks say the most tender meat is always that next to the bone, and there is plenty of meat hidden in the tail.
Not too long ago, animal parts such as the tail were almost given away by butchers. But oxtails have increased in popularity and can command a relatively high price today. We recently purchased some for $1.70 a pound at a large supermarket.
Oxtails are best suited to long, slow cooking with added moisture such as broth or chopped vegetables and tomatoes. With slow cooking, the sinewy meat and gelatinous tendons in the tail are softened and tenderized. The resulting juices are full of flavor and can be the base of a hearty stew or rich soup.
Where to buy: Supermarkets with large meat departments have oxtails sporadically through the winter months.
How much to buy: Figure about 1 pound of oxtails for each main-dish serving, as in a stew, and two to three servings a pound for soup.
To prepare for cooking: Oxtails are usually available already cut into pieces in supermarkets. If not, have the butcher saw the tail into 1 1/2- to 2-inch-thick pieces.
The following recipe is adapted from ”The New Doubleday Cookbook,” by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna (Doubleday, $16.95). After the oxtails are tender, the authors recommend, remove the meat from the bones and add it back to the broth.
OXTAIL SOUP
Six servings
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 3 1/2 hours
2 pounds oxtails, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch chunks, trimmed of excess fat 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, minced
2 quarts water or 6 cups water and 2 cups beef broth or bouillon
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3 cloves
2 sprigs parsley
2 medium carrots, peeled, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/3 cup dry sherry or port wine, optional
1. Dredge oxtails in 1/2 cup flour, then brown in oil in large, heavy pot over high heat; drain on paper towel.
2. Turn heat to medium and stir-fry onions 8 to 10 minutes until golden;
sprinkle in remaining flour, mix well and brown lightly. Slowly add water, stir in tomato paste, salt and pepper. Tie bay leaf in cheesecloth with thyme, cloves and parsley. Add to pot. Return oxtails to pot, cover and simmer 3 hours, until meat is fork-tender. Cool and skim off fat; remove cheesecloth bag.
3. Separate meat from bones, cut in bite-size pieces and return to pot along with carrots and celery. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until carrots are tender. If you like, mix in sherry. Serve as is or strain and serve broth as first course and follow with oxtail and vegetable.
This rich stew-like dish is adapted from ”The Complete Round the World Meat Cookbook,” by Myra Waldo (out of print).
POLISH OXTAIL RAGOUT
Six servings
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours
2 oxtails, cut in 2-inch lengths, about 4 pounds
1 carrot
3 sprigs parsley
1 tablespoon salt or to taste
Water
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup diced celery
1/4 pound smoked ham, cut in julienne
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, chopped, or 3 cups canned tomatoes, drained, chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup sliced blanched almonds
3 tablespoons dark raisins
Cooked noodles
1. Cover the oxtails with boiling water and then drain. Place oxtails in a saucepan, add the carrot, parsley and half of the salt. Add water to barely cover. Heat to boil and cook over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours. Drain well.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan; saute the onions, celery and ham for 5 minutes. Add the drained oxtails; cook for 10 minutes. Mix in the wine; cook, uncovered, until wine is almost evaporated.
3. Add the tomatoes, pepper, nutmeg and remaining salt to taste. Cover and cook over low heat until oxtails are fork-tender, about 50 minutes. Mix in the nuts and raisins; cook 5 minutes longer. Serve with cooked noodles.
