French: Oxtail Stew à la Dali

Recipe by Paul Young <info@cooking-with-paul.com>

(serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs oxtail
• 2 tablespoons salt, plus more as needed
• 4 cups water (approximate)
• 7 oz mushrooms (baby bellas preferred), sliced
• 1 bulbs garlic, minced (about 12 cloves)
• 2 tablespoons flour (approx)
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 stalks celery, petite diced
• 1 teaspoon beef base
• 1 teaspoon vegetable base
• ½ can diced tomatoes (7 oz)
• 1 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet
• Ground black pepper (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ yellow onion, sliced
• 1½ cup carrot sticks
• ½ sweet red peppers, sliced
• Balsamic vinegar (to taste)
• Chopped parsley for garnish

Procedure:

1. Brown the oxtail in a soup pot (the rendered fat should provide enough oil for browning), add water to cover meat, add salt, bring water to boil then lower heat and simmer for 5 hours or more until meat almost falls off the bone (or use a pressure cooker to reduce cooking time to 90 minutes)
2. Remove the meat and refrigerate overnight
3. Transfer stock to smaller container and refrigerate overnight
4. Remove the solidified grease on top of the stock and set aside
5. Start the stew in a big soup pot: saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of the grease (until soft, about 5 minutes)
6. Add garlic and saute briefly (about 1 minute)
7. Add flour, cook under low heat stirring constantly until “roux” is light brown (about 3 minutes)
8. Add red wine, 1 cup of the stock, celery, diced tomatoes, beef base, vegetable base, soy sauce, and thyme
9. Bring pot to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes
10. Adjust seasoning: add liquid smoke, salt, pepper to taste
11. Adjust for color by adding paprika and Kitchen Bouquet
12. Make the garnish: saute onion, carrot sticks, red pepper in olive oil until soft (about 3 minutes); finish by adding a splash of balsamic vinegar
13. To serve: reheat oxtail meat in microwave for about 2 minutes, arrange oxtail in a circle around a large platter, ladle stew into the center (cover some of the meat as well), top with sauteed vegetable garnish, finish with chopped parsley