Cordoba-style oxtail is a traditional recipe highly appreciated nowadays, which however, has very humble origins, since it was born from the need to take advantage of those less valuable cuts. Oxtail is a very fibrous meat that requires several hours of cooking, but following all the steps, it becomes a real feast of flavors.
Ingredients:
1 oxtail (approx. 1.5 kg)
1 large onion
4-5 cloves of garlic (or according to preference)
1 large carrot
1 leek (white part only)
1 Bell pepper (green or red)
1 chili (optional)
3 glasses of red wine
250 ml crushed tomato
A little meat or vegetable broth (optional)
Salt, pepper, bay leaf, extra virgin olive oil
About the Cordoba-style oxtail recipe:
As already mentioned, despite of being highly appreciated nowadays, this recipe has humble origins. The Andalusian city of Córdoba has always had a great bullfighting tradition, and it is therefore natural that many recipes with this meat have become popular there and are predominant in the region.
After the bullfighting festivals, the wealthiest businessmen and families kept the noble parts of the animal, while the offal and less valued cuts were given as gift to poor people.
The skillful hands of Andalusian homes learnt to combine this meat with vegetables and wine, cooking everything for many hours, until obtaining a very tender meat that fell off the bone on its own. That’s the secret for the success of the Cordoba-style oxtail.
The steps of the Cordoba-style oxtail recipe:
- Start by heating a little extra virgin olive oil in a large pot. Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown it on both sides. Keep aside.
- Add more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the chopped vegetables, lightly salt and stir-fry over moderate heat.
- When the vegetables are well poached, return the meat to the pot, add the red wine and cook over high heat for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates (you will notice this happening when you can no longer smell the intense smell of the alcohol). In this way, we will have then deglazed the bottom of the pot, to take advantage of all the concentrated flavors.
- Add the tomato and bay leaf, and if necessary, as much broth as to completely cover the meat. In order not to stop cooking, the broth must be hot.
- Cover the pot and continue cooking over low heat for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat separates from the bone. The exact time will depend on some factors specific to the meat, such as the age of the animal. During this time, check from time to time that the pot has enough liquid, and eventually add a little more broth if necessary.
- When the meat is ready, remove it from the pot once again and set it aside.
- Depending on preference, we can grind the vegetables at this point, or pass the preparation through a food sieve if we want to obtain a smoother sauce.
It would be possible to serve the meat covered in sauce at this moment, but I recommend to go ahead with the following additional steps, in order to maximize the result:
- When the sauce and meat have cooled, reserve them for at least a day in the refrigerator. The flavors not only intensify and amalgamate with this waiting time, but also the fat contained in the sauce will remain on the surface. This way, we can remove it with a spoon without major difficulties.
- Heat the sauce over low heat. According to preference, you can thicken it with a little cornstarch diluted in cold water, or add a few pieces of cold butter and stir until combined. Butter is especially effective in achieving a shiny, brightly colored sauce that is visually very attractive. In any case, oxtail is a cut with a large amount of collagen, which is a natural thickener, and therefore we probably will not need to use any of these two additional options.
- A surprising option that gives a very interesting touch of flavor, is to add two squares of dark chocolate to the sauce.
- Add the meat back to the sauce to allow it to heat up.
- The most common accompaniment for Cordoba-style oxtail are fried or baked potatoes, so prepare them in advance, and serve everything together.