War news, which increasingly comes in curt briefings from the Pentagon, rivets the country's attention and also serves to distract citizens from what is either a recession or a depression depending on whose ox is being gored. Sales of yellow ribbon may be up around here but nothing much else is. And February. Can't something be done about this wretched month — like shortening it to 10 days?
I know — let’s have a "1040" party! That’s the US Individual Income Tax Return, the most depressing document ever devised (with the exception of the one that begins "Greetings!" from your draft board). But enough of this lugubriousness. One of the cheapest and most rewarding pastimes in dismal February is cooking — that is, if you pick the right ingredients. Oxtails, bean curd, chicken wings, stuff like that.
Though dishes made from ingredients like these are seldom "gourmet meals-in-minutes" you can still monitor CNN on the gulf war while you chop and stir. And cooking at least keeps you off the streets . . . where we may all wind up if inflation continues apace.
Oxtail Stew
Oxtails are rarely displayed in supermarket cases, but your butcher can easily order them for you, usually frozen. Have them cut in two-inch lengths and discard the terminal three or four inches that are meatless. I have adapted this recipe to modern taste to eliminate the excessive greasiness characteristic of old-time recipes. Serves six.
6 lbs. oxtails, jointed
1/4 cup brandy or whiskey
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry red wine
8-ounce can of tomatoes
1 tsp. dried thyme
Orange peel, 2 inches long
Salt and pepper
12 to 14 small imported black olives, pitted and rinsed with hot water
3-4 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup minced parsley
Skimming the fat from an oxtail stew can be a tiresome job, so here is a way to get rid of most of it in the beginning and also to brown the meat effortlessly. Dry the oxtail joints and spread them out in a large, lightly oiled roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and slide them into a hot oven (approximately 425 degrees). Stir them up and over after 15 minutes and continue roasting for another 15 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour off the fat and reserve it. Pour the brandy into a metal ladle, warm it and set it alight, then pour it over the oxtails to intensify their flavor and burn off additional fat. Put the oxtails into a capacious and attractive heavy casserole. Deglaze the roasting pan with a little hot water, scraping up the browned bits, and pour this over the oxtails.
Heat a few spoonfuls of the fat in a skillet and gently sauté the onions and garlic until transparent and add these to the oxtails along with the wine. Puree the tomatoes (do not use canned tomato puree as it is too sweet), add them and the thyme to the casserole. Add enough hot water to barely cover the oxtails, stir well, and add the orange rind. Cover tightly and braise in the middle of the oven for about two hours. Add the olives to the stew and simmer for another half hour, when the meat should be almost falling (but not quite) from the bones.
Make a roux with two or three tablespoons of the flour and two tablespoons of the reserved beef fat. Cook gently, stirring over low heat until brown. Skim the stew well. Take about a pint of sauce from the casserole and stir it into the roux. Whisk thoroughly and cook gently about five minutes. Mix this sauce into the oxtails and sprinkle the finished dish with parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, or rice. Braised carrots and a simple green salad vinaigrette round out a splendid and cheap winter meal.
