Oxtail Soup

Oxtail is so amazing in stews and soups.  When patiently simmered for hours and hours this luscious protein adds a depth to your dish that plain beef can't match.  Maybe it's the marrow or the bones themselves that imparts such flavor.  Whatever it is, it is certainly worth the effort.
Tonight's dinner is from the cookbook "Falling off the bone" (Jean Anderson, Publisher: John Wiley and Sons)
http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Off-Bone-Jean-Anderson/dp/0470467134/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327819272&sr=8-1

I bought this cookbook simply for the title and I'm so glad I did.  Every recipe has been a winner so far.

For this recipe start with about 3 pounds oxtails.

I had a hard time finding oxtail here in Marysville.  I first tried at Silvana Meats (my favorite organic butcher shop)
http://www.silvanameats.com/
with no luck.  I finally found them at Fred Meyer.  I really hope more of the local grocery stores start to carry this fantastic soup ingredient.

Put this in a heavy dutch oven (this piece of equipment is a must for any serious home cook) with about 8 cups of water, 2 bay leaves about 2 tsp. salt and about 1/2 tsp. black pepper.  Bring to a boil, cover and adjust heat so it is just simmering lazily for about 4 1/2 to 5 hours (I let mine bubble away for the full 5 hours).

Take the simmered meat (should be falling off the bone at this point) out with a slotted spoon and place onto a cutting board.

Pull the meat from the bone and discard the bone and any extra fat.  This rendered about 1 lb. of yummy melt-in-your-mouth beef.  Separate the fat from the broth.  I used a fat-separator but you can just put the broth into a large bowl, and using a large spoon, skim the fat off the top of the broth.

Rinse and dry the dutch oven.  To it add 2 Tbs. bacon grease over medium/high heat until it starts to shimmer.  Add 4 bunches of green onions (also called scallions) chopped, and garlic.  The recipe called for 3 cloves garlic minced but I think I added about 6 or 7 cloves worth.

COOKING LESSON:  How to prepare and chop green onion in no time:

Working with one bunch at a time

Thoroughly clean and line up the green onions with their little tops all matched up.  Now slice off all the tops at once.

Hold onto the bunch and slicing on the bias (a slanted cut) cut the onions in about 1/2 inch chunks

Saute the onion and garlic for about 3-5 minutes stirring almost constantly so the garlic doesn't burn.

Now add 2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice.  The recipe says to peel the potatoes, but I never peel my potatoes (even when making mashed potatoes).  The skin adds a great texture and fiber to the meal.  Just thoroughly scrub the potatoes and cut out any eyes that are growing anything (these can become poisonous with heat and cause tummy problems).

Also add about 2 carrots peeled and thickly sliced and about 2 ribs worth of celery.

COOKING LESSON:  Here is an easy way to cut up your celery:

Do not take off the ribs to be cut up.  Instead keep the thoroughly washed celery whole.  Hang on to the entire celery and slice off from the end what you need.

The rest just keep in the fridge wrapped in a paper towel and plastic bag.

Return the meat to the pot with the veggies and add the reserved cooking broth (with the 2 bay leaves).  If your liquid doesn't seem to be enough you can add a little water.  The broth shouldn't quite cover the meat and veggies.

 

Bring to a boil again and cover turning down the heat to just a simmer for about 45 minutes, just until the veggies are tender.

Mix in 1 can diced tomatoes and their juice (14.5 oz) and about 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped.

The weirdest thing.  My Italian parsley plant on the back deck thinks it's July.  According to Ed Hume in his "Northwest Gardening Made Easy" These guys should peeter out by end of fall.  Only about a week ago this little guy had a foot of snow on top of him.  I don't have the heart to tell him it's January and that he really should be brown and dead.  Ha, instead I'll use him in my soup :)

Doesn't the soup look pretty?

Continue simmering the soup, lid off, for another 15 minutes or so just until all the ingredients are all kissy-cozy with each other.

Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet sweet Lord in Heaven.  The flavor is so rich and yummy.  This is one of those soups that will only continue to improve as it's reheated in the next couple of days (honestly with my family I don't think it will survive more than 48 hours in the fridge).

Here is the WW breakdown:

3 pounds oxtails that rendered about 1lb. of meat:  47 pts (the closest I could find on the Weight Watcher site to this luscious meat was "brisket")

2 Tbs. Bacon grease: 7 pts.

2 large potatoes: 9 pts.

63 pts/8.5 servings = 7.41 (7 pts) each