Recipes
Angie Mar's Oxtail Bourguignon
Makes 6 servings
One of the first classic French braises I mastered was Julia Child’s beef bourguignon, which I find tremendously soul-satisfying to make in addition to incredibly satisfying to eat. In this recipe I’ve taken the idea of classic beef bourguignon and changed what would traditionally be beef shoulder to oxtail. It’s a lovely and warming dish you can leave simmering on the stovetop all day for a Sunday dinner; though like most braises, I find this tastes even better when made a day in advance and given time to settle (it also makes it easier to scrape the fat off the top when it’s chilled overnight).
ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
- 3 pounds (1.375 kilograms) oxtail
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup (30 grams) flour
- 1 bottle (750 milliliters) red wine
- 5⅓ cups (1.255 liters) beef stock
- 10 cipollini onions, peeled
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into obliques
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and quartered
- 1 head garlic, sliced lengthwise, green germ removed
- 1 bunch thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Handful fresh parsley
method
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Heavily season the oxtail on all sides with salt. Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding, sear the oxtail on all sides until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside. In the same pot, sauté the carrots and onions until they are softened and begin to color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Return the oxtails to the pot.
- Sprinkle flour on the oxtails and vegetables and shake to coat, then return the pot to medium high heat and cook until the flour has browned slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wine and allow to simmer for at least 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol, then deglaze and scrape up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the beef stock and bring to a simmer.
- Wrap the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf in cheesecloth and tie the ends to make a sachet, and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Place a cartouche (parchment paper lid) over the pot to slow the rate of evaporation, then cover with a lid, and simmer for about 4 hours, or until the oxtail is totally tender and slipping off the bone, checking halfway through to ensure liquid isn’t drying out. While the oxtails cook, heat a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add a little olive oil and sauté the mushrooms, seasoning with salt. Set aside. Skim as much fat off the top as possible (if you make this a day in advance, refrigerate the cooked oxtail overnight at this point and remove the fat that solidifies on top the next day).
- To serve, remove lid, bring oxtail to a simmer over medium heat. Add the reserved mushrooms and their juices and cook for 10 minutes so the sauce thickens slightly. Remove the cheesecloth sachet, sprinkle fresh chopped parsley, and taste for seasoning. Serve immediately.
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Recipe excerpted from the video recipe book Cook with Jacques Pépin & Friends: Volume 2Become a Jacques Pépin Foundation member to receive access to the video recipe book
