Oxtails, Cabbage, Cornbread- for Saint Paddy's Day

Oxtails, Cabbage, Cornbread- for Saint Paddy's Day Sunday Dinner 2019. I just had a taste for a slow cooker oxtail stew for the weekend. The most effortless way to enjoy hearty oxtail stew or soup for dinner involves tossing all the ingredients into a slow cooker after breakfast then coming back eight to 10 hours later to a complete hot meal.

Oxtails, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, over Aunt Martha's Cornbread

Oxtails Guyana one morning my friend June Bobb called to say that her husband Robert, had purchased some oxtails, which she despised, and we pondered over the telephone how to prepare them so that she and Kamau, her son, would be able to eat them with as much relish as her husband did. The result: Oxtails Guyana. The recipe takes the traditional ingredients of that country and adds a Gallie Fillip of red wine. The result was deemed a success by all. Jessica B. Harris

 2 pounds oxtails
1/2 cup cider vinegar (Trust me here if it says 1/2 cup, don't use more, it will ruin the entire dish)
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon of corn oil ( I used olive oil extra virgin)
1 cup red wine
2 large tomatoes, chopped (I used roasted tomatoes and olive)
1 bay leave
salt to taste
1 tablespoon cassareep (optional the juice of a boiled down shredded cassata flavored with brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and other ingredients used in Guyana stews)
4 medium-sized carrots, scraped and diced ( not a fan of boiled carrots)
3 large potatoes, chopped ( I used small gourmet red potatoes)

Jessica says to wash the oxtails with vinegar and place them in a pressure cooker or crockpot. Now here in this recipe, it doesn't say to pour off the vinegar or stew it with the oxtails. I over poured like two cups of vinegar, and then didn't pour off the marinade, but slow-cooked it overnight in the vinegar, onions, and garlic. In the middle of the night,  I removed the oxtails, from the pot and put in the refrigerator, so that the excess grease from the meat would rise to the top and solidify. And also I can save this for another soup. Then I rinsed the oxtails because of vinegary and poured off all but two cups of the liquid from the marinade. (Trying to correct the mistake)

Next, place the oxtails in a skillet with the onion, garlic, and corn oil and cook over medium heat until the onion and garlic are browned.  I flour-coated the meat before putting it into fat to make the base for gravy and put it back into the crockpot to finish stewing with potatoes, sundried tomatoes, and olives. Seasoning to taste.  Cook until tender.

In an article for the "Los Angeles Times," food writer Merle Ellis describes the culinary history of oxtails. In pioneer days, oxen were used primarily as beasts of burden and only slaughtered for their meat after no longer working. That's when people made two discoveries: Oxtails were not only delicious but tasted even better when the male oxen they'd been attached to were castrated -- steers. So even though oxtails now come from cattle, not necessarily males, the name stuck. In the Caribbean, oxtail stew occupies pride of place as a down-home classic. According to cookbook author Jessica B. Harris, the theory is that oxtails were considered throwaway meat given to slaves after the masters had butchered the most desirable cuts for themselves.

If you like beef on the bone but haven't tried oxtails, you don't know what you're missing. Unrivaled for a richness of flavor, oxtails figure in the culinary traditions of many countries, including the UK, Italy, the Caribbean, and throughout Asia. They can be a challenge to find in North American supermarkets; if your local one doesn't carry them, try butchers or grocery stores catering to a West Indian clientele. Tenderizing this tough meat requires lengthy cooking times, but your presence isn't necessarily needed throughout the process.

Traditional Jamaican Oxtails

Oxtails simmered with beans is a traditional Jamaican dish. The recipe can take between four and five hours to cook, but the result is well worth the wait. Oxtails contain 54 percent protein, and one serving of broad beans includes 1 percent of the daily doses of vitamins A and C and 7 percent and 14 percent of your daily calcium and iron, respectively. There are many recipes to choose from, but most are variations.

1. Prep and chop the scallion, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper, onion, thyme, tomatoes, and carrots. Don't chop them too small. Blanch the broad beans in boiling water for approximately 30 seconds. Put them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Their waxy coatings will slip off. Set the clean beans aside.
2. Season the oxtails with garlic, scallion, scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, allspice, salt, and pepper.
3. Add one tbsp. Of oil to a pan and fry the seasoned oxtails for about 10 minutes. Add the water and stir in the chopped carrot, onion, and tomatoes. Turn down the heat and simmer for about three hours. Stir occasionally.
4. Once the oxtails are tender, add the beans. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Finally, your Jamaican-style oxtails with beans are ready. 

Tip
You can serve it with Jamaican rice and peas, just white rice, or potatoes. If you want the dish to be more healthy, trim the excess fat from the oxtails before seasoning. Add Tabasco to the seasoning for a more profound taste.

I served my oxtails with homemade Aunt Martha's Cornbread.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk OR 1 1/3 cups milk
1/4 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
2 cups Martha White® Self-Rising Enriched White Corn Meal Mix OR 2 cups Martha White® Self-Rising Enriched White Buttermilk Corn Meal Mix

Preparation Directions
HEAT oven to 450ºF. Spoon shortening into an 8-inch ovenproof skillet or 8-inch square or round baking pan. Place in oven to heat for about 5 minutes.
WHISK egg in a medium bowl. Stir in buttermilk, oil, and cornmeal mix until smooth. The batter should be creamy and pourable. If too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional buttermilk. Carefully tilt the skillet to coat the bottom with shortening. Pour batter into the skillet.
BAKE 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
SELF-RISING CORN MEAL VARIATION: Prepare as directed above but substitute self-rising cornmeal for self-rising cornmeal mix and increase buttermilk to 1 3/4 cups or if using milk to 1 1/2 cups.

Steamed Cabbage:

Cabbage is another one of those dishes you have to cook just right for folks to enjoy. I used Braided Cabbage (United States) from Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons by Jessica B. Harris.

1 small head green cabbage

2 tablespoons bacon drippings (I used olive oil)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons of water.