Tender Braised Oxtail

As Wiki explains, “Oxtail (occasionally spelled ox tail or ox-tail) is the culinary name for the tail of cattle. Formerly, it referred only to the tail of an ox or steer, a castrated male. An oxtail typically weighs 2 to 4 lbs. (1-1.8 kg) and is skinned and cut into short lengths for sale.Oxtail is a bony, gelatinous meat, and is usually slow-cooked, often stewed or braised….”

I personally think that most meat near bones such as wings or ribs and oxtail of course are delicious. There are many people who are not adventurous and won’t try oxtail but I really wish they would because it is TASTY!

However, if you were looking for a quick meal, this is not the one because unless you have a pressure cooker, Oxtail takes about 3-4 hours to prepare and at the end you will get a well deserved delicious dish of tender juicy oxtail in a rich brown gravy. I serve this dish with steamed white rice and my family LOVES it.

I usually purchase Oxtail from Asian or Hispanic grocery stores. I look for big meaty pieces that are not too fatty but you can’t avoid fat or bone if you are going to eat oxtail. I developed this oxtail recipe after trying different recipes and eating oxtail from different restaurants. I used many recipes as my guidance before coming up with the one that is most suitable to my family’s taste and mine.

Here is the recipe I would like to share:

Ingredients:

2-2.5 LB oxtail pieces
1 TBS oil
3 bay leaves
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 TBS soy sauce
Dash cayenne pepper
¾ to 1 Cup water, (depending on how thick or thin you’d want your gravy to be)

Directions:

1. Wash and pat dry the oxtails with paper towels.
2. Season them with salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic pepper, and soy sauce.
3. Heat up the oil in a Dutch oven and when it is hot, add the seasoned oxtails to sear and brown them on all sides for about 5-7 min.
4. When the oxtails are brown, add bay leaves and chopped onions. Mix well and cook for a few minutes.
5. Add the water, cover and cook on low for at least 2 hours or till tender.
6. Serve with rice.

Note: This step is not necessary but if you have time, let the oxtail pot cool in the fridge for several hours till all the fat floats to the top and solidifies. Remove the fat from the top, reheat and serve.

The Ultimate Beef Wellington

I first heard of beef wellington during one of my many food conversations with my coworkers at work. I didn't know what it was and had my co worker explained it to me. It sounded interesting and I began searching for recipes that sounded good to me. So, I found this delicious Tyler Florence's recipe on food networks' website and decided to give it a try. It was time consuming yet time well spent. Also, this dish can get pricey so I only make it for special occasions such as New Year's Day dinner. This is such a wonderful recipe and I love that prosciutto was used to wrap the beef which keeps the puff pastry from getting really soggy and also add a wonderful salty flavor to the dish. I have had it without as well and would not skip this part since it tastes much better. So let's take a look at how to make this wonderful beef;

Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 6 hr 0 min Level:


TIP: There are many videos on youtube how to make this and it is very helpful to watch a few to get the idea if you are making it for the first time.

Intermediate Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

For the Duxelles:
3 pints (1 1/2 pounds) white button mushrooms
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Beef:
1 (3-pound) center cut beef tenderloin (filet Mignon), trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 thin slices prosciutto
6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
1 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions
To make the Duxelles: Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.


























































To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil - about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile set out your prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board. Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely encompass the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together. Remove beef from refrigerator and cut off plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef - saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Top with coarse sea salt. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife - this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices.




















































































































































































































































Green Peppercorn Sauce: (Optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 cup brandy
1 box beef stock
2 cups cream
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
1/2 cup green peppercorns in brine, drained, brine reserved
Add olive oil to pan after removing beef. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme; saute for 1 to 2 minutes, then, off heat, add brandy and flambe using a long kitchen match. After flame dies down, return to the heat, add stock and reduce by about half. Strain out solids, then add 2 cups cream and mustard. Reduce by half again, then shut off heat and add green peppercorns.

PHO'

Pho' has got to be one of my favorite soups. I am very glad that I learned how to make it. It is a Vietnamese Beef Rice Noodle soup that is popular among many Asians. It's cheap and yummy. However, I have not eaten it at any resturants since I started making it at home. As cheap as it is to eat out, I prefer to make it at home cause it taste better, cleaner, and more fun that way. I can put as much beef as I like, or as much anything...broth, noodles, herbs etc and eat as often as I want through out the day. It is a task to complete, but it's very well worth it and I personally think it's easy. It does involve many little steps,....but they are easy steps. Below is the ingredients you'll need to make PHO':

For Soup Broth
Beef Bones
Choice of Brisket, Flank, ox tail (optional)
1 onoin
Ginger
Sugar
Salt
Fish sauce
Spices (2 Cinnamon stick, 10 Cloves,3 Star Anise, 1 TBS Coriander seeds, 1, Black Cardamon, 1 tsp Fennel seeds)
*you can buy spice mix in a packet at any Asian food stores if you don't have them

You'll also need:
Rice noodles

Thinly sliced Beef
Beef Meatballs

Culantro
Cilantro
purple stem Basil
Green Onions
Bean Sprouts

Siracha Sauce




Half fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add beef bones and bring back to boil. Let boil for about 5-10 min till a lot of scum comes up to the top. Dump the liquid and wash the pot and the bones clean. Fill the pot back up with water and bring everything back to a boil again. Turn the heat down and let it cook on low after it boils again.
Add the spice bag and bring back to a boil. You can take out the spice bag after an hour or may leave it in the pot.


Let the broth simmer slowly for 8-10 hours, skimming the fat as it comes up to the top.


An hour before eating, grill an onion and 2 in ginger till they are black. I do this in foil on top of stove.

Wash them before adding to the beef broth. Add to broth.

Get rice noodles ready by boiling them in boiling water for 2 min. Do not over cook since you will be adding boiling broth to it later.

Get meatballs ready. Cut them in half and add to the broth pot for a few min.

Raw beef slices (paper thin).
Put noodles in a large bowl, then add your raw beef.
Herbs of your choice. I did not have sprouts today but usually I put them as well.
Pour boiling broth over your noodles and beef. Add herbs and choice of sauces ( hot sauce, chili sauce, fish sauce, hoisin sauce). PHO' must be eaten while it is very hot or it's not good. Enjoy!

Broccolini Beef in Garlic Sauce

According to wiki " Broccolini is a green vegetable similar to broccoli but with small florets and long, thin stalks. Although often misidentified as young broccoli, it is a cross between broccoli and kai-lan, Chinese broccoli. A natural hybrid of the cabbage family Brassica oleracea, it was developed by the Sakata Seed Company of Yokohama, Japan. Broccolini's flavor is sweet, with notes of both broccoli and asparagus." I like broccoli and Asparagus, but I LOVE Broccolini. Most people also like Broccoli and Beef. This dish is Broccolini and Beef in a garlic sauce. Try and see how yummy it is! Here is the recipe:

1/2 lb tender beef, cut in small pieces
1 TBS each of oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sweet cooking wine or seasoning
1 Bunch Broccolini
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS oil

Look How PRETTY!!!
Seasonings to marinate beef.
Marinate beef with the above 3 seasonings.
Wash your Broccolini.
Cut and separate flowers from stems. Split stems in half.
Heat garlic and oil till garlic sizzles.
Add beef first.
Add stems. Cook a few min.
Add flowers last since they are most tender and you don't want to over cook them.
Ready!
Serve with rice!

Tender Beef in Black Pepper Sauce

I found whole beef tenderloin on sale for ONLY $3.99/lb and so I had to get it. What A Bargain!!!! I cleaned it and saved some to make Beef Wellington later but I made this quick and easy stir fry for lunch today with some of the beef I bought. The beef was soooo tender and good, but I guess if you don't have tenderloin, you can probably use sirloin or eye of round or another good cut of beef.
Here is the recipe:

1 lb beef tenderloin, cut in bite size pieces
1 TBS tapioca starch or corn starch
1 TBS minced garlic
1-2 TBS crushed black pepper
1/2 cup Brandy or beef broth or water
2 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS oil
2 bunches green onions, cut in 1 inch (optional)
pinch of salt
Cut beef into thin bite size piece and sprinkle a little salt.
Mix the tapioca starch and beef.
Heat oil and garlic till the garlic sizzle. Add the beef and stir fry for 2 min. Add soy sauce and stir fry for another min or 2.
Add pepper.
Remove from heat and add brandy and light it with a long kitchen match. Let burn till the flame dies. This step can be skipped if you are not using Brandy. Just add water or broth instead.
Add green onions.
Cook till beef is done. You don't want to over cook the meat. So, stir quickly and cook fast.
Serve with steamed rice.