Rabo de Toro de Puente de la Reina
Oxtail from the Village of the Queen’s Bridge in Navarre
At the Foods of the World Forum, our unofficial “Ambassador to Spain,” Margi, provided a great description of the Iberian region of Navarre:
I had made a similar oxtail dish before, using a slightly-different recipe that is ubiquitous to the region:
http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards....topic2499.html
I also had made a very similar stew before, called Estofado de Carne Toro, that is traditional during the Festival of San Fermín:
http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards...._topic666.html
It is only natural that - sooner or later - I would try this oxtail dish that Margi spoke so highly of, which melds both ideas; so, on 6 July 2013, I gave this a try, as people of Pamplona celebrated half a world away….
Here is the recipe:
Following is my preparation of this dish on 6 July 2013, which I enjoyed very much. I found it to be very easy to prepare, when one pay attention to mise en place, and I ran into no unexpected pitfalls. The aroma was complex, exotic, and brought forth images of empty, dusty village streets as the sounds of cheers come from la plaza de toros...and it tastes even better. This dish is traditionally served in the warm months of the year, during the Festival of San Isidro Labrador (May 15th) and the Festival of San Fermín, which begins on July 6th; however, I believe that it would certainly be good any time; so if you like what you see, give it a try!
Because we have four children and my dad will often show up for supper on the weekends to see what is cooking, I made about a recipe-and-a-half. The oxtails that I used were beautiful rabos from locally-raised beef, including some from our family herd:
It looks like quite a bit, but keep in mind that there are different sizes of tail sections, and each has a bone in them. You will most likely need more than you think you do.
These oxtails seemed to be of much, much higher quality than the junk that I got from WalMart the first time that I prepared oxtail; these seemed much more meaty and were not completely covered with the thick layer of spongy fat that plagued my previous effort. Even better, the ones that I did purchase (not from the family herd) were only 3.00$ each, compared to the 10.50$ that I paid at WalMart; a huge difference, making this a very cost-effective meal, indeed.
The Beautiful Mrs. Tas - bless her soul - is not overly-fond of oxtail, so I did add some chunks of beef to the mix for her and anyone else who might be less-than-adventurous:
I am pretty sure that this beef was cut from a chuck roast, but it has been a while, so don’t hold me to that; I do remember that this was also from our own family beef. In any case, if you have trouble finding good oxtails, any stewing beef would almost as well; I would suggest chuck or short ribs, but the cost will probably go up. If you have oxtails available to you, you would be doing yourself a favour on many levels by using them.
To begin: following the advice of Marji’s butcher in Spain, Joaquin, I gave the rabos a bath in the red wine before flouring and browning them. The marinade consisted of the zest from a large orange and two lemons, a few peppercorns, a teaspoon or so of salt, a few cloves and a cinnamon stick, all added to the bottle of wine:
The result was very fragrant, and I would declare that Joaquin is a genius for this advice; his marinade is a wonderful enhancement to the dish that provides much ambience and depth:
Here, my youngest son, Roger, mixed the beef around in order get it completely covered by the marinade:
In spite of the photo above, I did make a substitution where the wine was concerned; I used a Cabernet Sauvignon for the marinade and braising liquid, and saved my Spanish Tempranillo for the meal itself. The recipe advises using the same variety of wine for both, but I only had one bottle of the Tempranillo, so I made a judgement call.
The oxtails marinated for 2 hours; the marinade was then strained and reserved in order to be used as the braising liquid.
While the oxtails marinated, I turned my attention to mise en place. There is no Iberian ham available to us in our area; however, by some miracle, we do see prosciutto from time-to-time, and I was able to use this Italian ham for my preparation:
The prep-work here was very easy; I simply sliced the prosciutto into thin strips:
Next, I diced the onion, leek and carrot:
...and then minced the garlic:
After that, I gathered the salt, black pepper, Pimentón de La Vera, cloves, bay leaves, a dried, hot chile and a cinnamon stick:
For this dish, I had some really nice, vine-ripened tomatoes:
This recipe calls for the tomatoes to be skinned; first, I removed the stems and cut a small cross-hatch on top of each tomato:
I then dipped them in boiling water for a few seconds before peeling and dicing them:
(to be continued)
Oxtail from the Village of the Queen’s Bridge in Navarre
At the Foods of the World Forum, our unofficial “Ambassador to Spain,” Margi, provided a great description of the Iberian region of Navarre:
Originally posted by Margi
http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards....topic2499.html
I also had made a very similar stew before, called Estofado de Carne Toro, that is traditional during the Festival of San Fermín:
http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards...._topic666.html
It is only natural that - sooner or later - I would try this oxtail dish that Margi spoke so highly of, which melds both ideas; so, on 6 July 2013, I gave this a try, as people of Pamplona celebrated half a world away….
Here is the recipe:
Rabo de Toro de Puente de la Reina
Oxtail from the Village of the Queen’s Bridge in Navarre
Ingredients:
3 oxtails (or beef tails), sliced into their natural sections
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
4 ounces of Iberian Ham (substitute with Prosciutto di Parma), sliced finely into viruta strips
1 large onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 leek, white section only, diced finely
1 carrot, peeled and diced finely
2 pounds fresh juicy over ripe red tomatoes, peeled, skinned and minced
1 tablespoon Pimentón de La Vera Dulce
1 dried red tiny chili pepper (guindilla), or red chili pepper flakes in an equivalent amount
1 cinnamon stick, or 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground, crushed black peppercorns
3 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 bottle Red Navarran or La Rioja Wine
Beef stock or broth, as needed
Optional - for the marinade:
Zest of 1 large orange and 2 lemons
A few peppercorns
Salt (about 1 teaspoon)
Cloves (4 or 5)
1 cinnamon stick
Preparation:
Optional: After the oxtails or beef tails are rinsed and patted dry, give them a bath for up to 2 hours in a marinade consisting of the red wine along with the zest from a large orange and two lemons, a few peppercorns, a teaspoon or so of salt, a few cloves and a cinnamon stick. When preparing the meal, strain and reserve the wine in order to use it as the braising liquid.
Season and dust the oxtails with salt, pepper and flour. Heat some olive oil in a heavy cazuela or Dutch-style oven. Sauté the oxtails until golden on both sides, then remove and tent under foil to keep warm.
Add the ham, onion, garlic, leek and carrot to the Dutch oven and gently cook until all of the vegetables soften, deglasing if necessary with a little of the wine. Be sure to caramelize the vegetables a bit; however, do not brown them. Add the tomatoes and spices, bay leaf and the red wine; let it all cook down until the tomato becomes a salsa .
Return the oxtail to the cazuela or Dutch oven and add enough beef stock, if necessary, to submerge the oxtails in the sauce. Cover and simmer on a very low, slow flame (fuego lento). The meat should simmer very slowly for approximately 2.5 to 3 hours - check it from time-to-time; it will be finished when the rabos are melt-in-your-mouth tender and the sauce is rich and thick.
Serve with hot, crusty, rustic bread and the same variety red wine that you have cooked the oxtails with.
Note - mashed or steak-fried potatoes are traditionally served as a side for this dish.
Oxtail from the Village of the Queen’s Bridge in Navarre
Ingredients:
3 oxtails (or beef tails), sliced into their natural sections
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
4 ounces of Iberian Ham (substitute with Prosciutto di Parma), sliced finely into viruta strips
1 large onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 leek, white section only, diced finely
1 carrot, peeled and diced finely
2 pounds fresh juicy over ripe red tomatoes, peeled, skinned and minced
1 tablespoon Pimentón de La Vera Dulce
1 dried red tiny chili pepper (guindilla), or red chili pepper flakes in an equivalent amount
1 cinnamon stick, or 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground, crushed black peppercorns
3 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 bottle Red Navarran or La Rioja Wine
Beef stock or broth, as needed
Optional - for the marinade:
Zest of 1 large orange and 2 lemons
A few peppercorns
Salt (about 1 teaspoon)
Cloves (4 or 5)
1 cinnamon stick
Preparation:
Optional: After the oxtails or beef tails are rinsed and patted dry, give them a bath for up to 2 hours in a marinade consisting of the red wine along with the zest from a large orange and two lemons, a few peppercorns, a teaspoon or so of salt, a few cloves and a cinnamon stick. When preparing the meal, strain and reserve the wine in order to use it as the braising liquid.
Season and dust the oxtails with salt, pepper and flour. Heat some olive oil in a heavy cazuela or Dutch-style oven. Sauté the oxtails until golden on both sides, then remove and tent under foil to keep warm.
Add the ham, onion, garlic, leek and carrot to the Dutch oven and gently cook until all of the vegetables soften, deglasing if necessary with a little of the wine. Be sure to caramelize the vegetables a bit; however, do not brown them. Add the tomatoes and spices, bay leaf and the red wine; let it all cook down until the tomato becomes a salsa .
Return the oxtail to the cazuela or Dutch oven and add enough beef stock, if necessary, to submerge the oxtails in the sauce. Cover and simmer on a very low, slow flame (fuego lento). The meat should simmer very slowly for approximately 2.5 to 3 hours - check it from time-to-time; it will be finished when the rabos are melt-in-your-mouth tender and the sauce is rich and thick.
Serve with hot, crusty, rustic bread and the same variety red wine that you have cooked the oxtails with.
Note - mashed or steak-fried potatoes are traditionally served as a side for this dish.
Because we have four children and my dad will often show up for supper on the weekends to see what is cooking, I made about a recipe-and-a-half. The oxtails that I used were beautiful rabos from locally-raised beef, including some from our family herd:
It looks like quite a bit, but keep in mind that there are different sizes of tail sections, and each has a bone in them. You will most likely need more than you think you do.
These oxtails seemed to be of much, much higher quality than the junk that I got from WalMart the first time that I prepared oxtail; these seemed much more meaty and were not completely covered with the thick layer of spongy fat that plagued my previous effort. Even better, the ones that I did purchase (not from the family herd) were only 3.00$ each, compared to the 10.50$ that I paid at WalMart; a huge difference, making this a very cost-effective meal, indeed.
The Beautiful Mrs. Tas - bless her soul - is not overly-fond of oxtail, so I did add some chunks of beef to the mix for her and anyone else who might be less-than-adventurous:
I am pretty sure that this beef was cut from a chuck roast, but it has been a while, so don’t hold me to that; I do remember that this was also from our own family beef. In any case, if you have trouble finding good oxtails, any stewing beef would almost as well; I would suggest chuck or short ribs, but the cost will probably go up. If you have oxtails available to you, you would be doing yourself a favour on many levels by using them.
To begin: following the advice of Marji’s butcher in Spain, Joaquin, I gave the rabos a bath in the red wine before flouring and browning them. The marinade consisted of the zest from a large orange and two lemons, a few peppercorns, a teaspoon or so of salt, a few cloves and a cinnamon stick, all added to the bottle of wine:
The result was very fragrant, and I would declare that Joaquin is a genius for this advice; his marinade is a wonderful enhancement to the dish that provides much ambience and depth:
Here, my youngest son, Roger, mixed the beef around in order get it completely covered by the marinade:
In spite of the photo above, I did make a substitution where the wine was concerned; I used a Cabernet Sauvignon for the marinade and braising liquid, and saved my Spanish Tempranillo for the meal itself. The recipe advises using the same variety of wine for both, but I only had one bottle of the Tempranillo, so I made a judgement call.
The oxtails marinated for 2 hours; the marinade was then strained and reserved in order to be used as the braising liquid.
While the oxtails marinated, I turned my attention to mise en place. There is no Iberian ham available to us in our area; however, by some miracle, we do see prosciutto from time-to-time, and I was able to use this Italian ham for my preparation:
The prep-work here was very easy; I simply sliced the prosciutto into thin strips:
Next, I diced the onion, leek and carrot:
...and then minced the garlic:
After that, I gathered the salt, black pepper, Pimentón de La Vera, cloves, bay leaves, a dried, hot chile and a cinnamon stick:
For this dish, I had some really nice, vine-ripened tomatoes:
This recipe calls for the tomatoes to be skinned; first, I removed the stems and cut a small cross-hatch on top of each tomato:
I then dipped them in boiling water for a few seconds before peeling and dicing them:
(to be continued)
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