Aunt Belen’s Ox Tail Stew
Rabo de Toro
Family recipes are an ode to our ancestors, an emotional map of who they were and how they lived their lives. In today’s high tech world we are more disconnected than ever, somehow recovering old family recipes captures our attention in a very special way. It touches a nostalgic fiber, a curiosity to discover who were the hands that fed our fathers and mothers, how they lived, and ultimately learn more about who we are. Handwritten recipes are the ones that bring the most heartwarming joy, looking at our ancestors handwriting specially the ones we never got a chance to met makes us feel connected to them. Graphology is the study of handwriting, it reveals a lot about their character. You can learn about their personalities just how they wrote their recipes, if they were a creative or methodical person, if they cooked for duty or for the love of cooking. My father always said “hija busca el amor en tu labor” find love in your duty. Labor is a Spanish word that usually refers to hand made or from the crafter’s hand, in our family working with our hands was important, it was a way to express love towards each other, it is a language of love.
This dish is traditionally from the South of Spain cities like Cordoba, Ronda and Sevilla.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
3 lbs of Oxtail
1 yellow onion chopped
3 carrots chopped
1 red bell pepper medium diced
1/2 green bell pepper medium dice
1 cup of dry sherry or white wine (Chardonnay)
1/2 cup of Cointreu or Brandy
1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 garlic cloves
3 bay leafs
1/2 cup of flour
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
8 slices of french bread
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
In a heavy bottom pan add olive oil and fry the bread with the garlic this is a great trick or “truco” that thickens the sauce but it also add a garlicky toast flavor to the sauce that is subtle but divine. Try this technique in other stews to thicken your sauces and add this special flavor
Fry for about 5 min per side and place in mortar and pestle together with the garlic, and parsley.
In a bowl or mortar and pestle smash the garlic and fried bread together.
Then mash the parsley and add to the bread and garlic mixture.
Meat:
Season meat with generous salt and pepper and coat with flour. Brown the oxtail in the same oil that you fried the bread and garlic, this oil has already a layer of flavor and we are going to add another layer by browning our meat and creating some fond in the pan.
Add Cointreau, wine and deglaze (scrape the fond, or bits from the pan) for about 5 min, add a cup of water or beef stock
Add the vegetables onions, carrots, peppers cover and bay leafs, cook for about 2 hours.
Add the bread mixture cover and cook for another 30 min to thicken.
Mash the bread, the garlic first add to the plate and then mash the parsley and add to the bread and garlic mixture, we will use this later to thicken the sauce.
Brown the meat for about 7 min per side until golden brown.
For a quicker method you can also place it in a pressure cooker and it will be done in about 45 min to cook the meat, then add the bread and cook for another 15 min to thicken the sauce.
Add the water or stock, cover and cook for about 2 hrs
Serve with Roasted Potatoes or a mixed greens salad and bread.
After cooking the meat for about 2 hours add the bread to thicken the sauce and cook for about 30 more minutes. Serve with Roasted potatoes or bread.
Next time you see grandma or a great aunt ask her for family her old recipes you may just discover great stories about them through them. This is a very special recipe made by my aunt Belen who is one of the best cooks in the family, I hope it becomes a favorite in your family.
From our Family to yours, in a small town near Avila Spain, happy cooking together!
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