Look what I have!
Well, it’s not really anything new as I bought this Martha Stewart 5 qt dutch oven for myself back in December at Macy’s because it was on sale for about $45 (and I can’t resist a good thing on sale). The comparable one from Le Creuset was waaaaay too expensive (~$200). I was inspired to get one after watching the Julie & Julia movie and after reading reviews from different cooking blogs. It also matches the color of my new stand mixer!!! :) I haven’t had the chance to use it and I really wanted to make something special for my first meal cooked in this cast iron pot…I decided to make cabernet-braised oxtail.
Before I go into this recipe, let me warn you how much of a pain-in-the-behind it was due to the fat separation step. Don’t worry, you’ll see exactly what I mean. I also don’t recommend doing this unless you have some time to kill at home as this takes at least 3.5 hours (prep + cooking time).
Ingredients
Braised Oxtail
(adapted from wrightfood)
- 1 package of oxtail (I bought mine from the korean grocery store. I’ve never seen it at your typical American grocery store)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
- 1/3 bottle of cabernet
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 thyme sprigs
- 2 tbsp of tomato paste
- water
- olive oil
Parmesan Polenta
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- olive oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup polenta
- 1/2 cup parmesan
Gremolata
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tsp thyme, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Instructions
Braised Oxtail
My mom taught me this trick to get rid of the gross stuff that develops from the blood and proteins in the oxtail: Soak the oxtail in cold water for about 1 hour. Pour out the water and rinse with cold water. Place oxtail into clean pot with clean water. Slowly bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove and clean the oxtail and discard the liquid. I highly recommend doing this step so that your braising liquid doesn’t become gunky.
Preheat oven to 315F.
In a cast iron dutch oven or any pot, heat up some olive oil over a medium-high heat. When hot, start browning the oxtail pieces. Make sure you don’t crowd the pot or it won’t brown very well. Let me say it again, do NOT over crowd the pot. When the oxtail is nicely colored, remove from the pan to a plate.
Add a little more oil to the pan if required and cook the onion, carrot and celery until soft.
Crank up the heat, and pour in wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape off any bits off the bottom and deglaze the pan. Reduced the liquid a bit and stir in the tomato paste.
Put the oxtail and any juices back into the pot. Add enough water to barely cover the oxtail. Tuck the bay leaves and thyme sprigs around the meat. Cover the pot with the lid and stick it in the oven for about 2.5 – 3 hours. Check the braise every hour to make sure the liquid level is still good – at this point the level should be around 1/2 way up on the meat.
The braising is done when the meat is falling off the bone.
Remove the meat from the liquid, and allow to cool slightly. Pull the meat off the bone (I kept several oxtails intact for plate presentation). Skim any fat off the top of the braising liquid and discard the bay and thyme sprigs.
So this was the step that took forever. I started skimming the fat, but it took forever. I decided to pour the braising liquid and solids through a strainer into another pot. I then took a baster and stuck the tip of it in the lower part of the liquid mixture (the part w/o the fat as the fat layer is on top). I sucked out the lower liquid layer and put it back into the cast iron. I emptied the fat layer from the pot and then poured the lower liquid layer into it along w/ the strained solid veggies. You could also stick some cheese cloth between the top layer and bottom layer and refrigerate overnight until the fat solidifies. Then lift the cheesecloth and voila! you immediately remove the fat…but this step requires you making it the night before you want to serve.
In a medium pan, combine the meat and liquid from the braise. Cover the pan loosely, and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Parmesan Polenta
In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sautee until fragrant (~15 seconds). Add the milk and water and bring to a simmer. Slowly add polenta while whisking constantly. When the mixture has thickened, remove from heat. Add the parmesan and stir until cheese is melted and incorporated into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Gremolata
Mix the lemon zest, rosemary, thyme, and garlic together.
rosemary and lemon thyme (lets hope my black thumb doesn't kill them)
Assembly
Pour the polenta on the plate as a base for the oxtail. Add the oxtail on top with some of the ragu sauce. Sprinkle the gremolata on top.
Although a damn delicious dish, it took quite a while to make. Braising is definitely the way to go if you want to turn a tough piece of meat into something soft, buttery, tender, amazing, etc. AND if you have some time on your hands.
. We decided to try out a recipe from it and we mutually agreed on this recipe. You can find the ingredients and directions here from the LATimes.
