Oxtails with Tomato Gravy
Oxtails with Tomato Gravy
One of my favorite meals when I was growing up was my Mother’s oxtail soup. It would simmer for hours and the house always smelled so good. I got some oxtails the other day and decided to braise them. They were amazing and so simple to do. The hardest part of cooking oxtails is having to wait for them to cook long enough to get tender.
I started by browning the oxtails in a pot. I then covered them with water, added some onion, celery and salt and covered the pot. I cooked the oxtails at a simmer for a couple of hours. Once they were getting tender I added carrots, potatoes, corn on the cob ( broken into 3 -inch pieces) and 3 cups of fresh tomatoes which I had peeled and chopped. I also added half a cup of red wine, more salt and fresh ground pepper. As the veggies I got tender I left the lid partially off so the liquid would reduce.
I pulled out the meat and veggies and set them aside, loosely covered with foil while I finished the tomato gravy. I skimmed fat off the top of the liquid in pan and increased the heat to high. I cooked it until it reduced by half and had about a cup and a half of sauce. It was still a little thinner than I wanted so I combined 1 tablespoon of flour with about 1/4 cup of cold water in a small jar. I shook it until it was smooth and poured it into the pan. I let it simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken and cook the flour. I adjusted the seasoning and returned the oxtails to the pot, turning them to coat in the tomato “gravy” in the pan. Served the oxtails with the corn, carrots and potatoes. So good.
