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madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Oxtail Terrine.
5 lb oxtails, cut crosswise in 2" pieces
salt
2 Tbsp lard
2 c dry red wine
2 c canned tomatoes in juice
1 pig trotter, split
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal 1" thick
5 cloves garlic, peeled and whole (Ha! I used... more.)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp paprika
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley
(I added: three green onions, chopped)
Rinse the oxtails under cool running water and pat dry. Place in a large bowl and season liberally with salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, melt the lard over medium-high heat in a heavy saute pan. Add the oxtails in a single, uncrowded layer and brown well on all sides. (Stage as needed.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the oxtails to a large braiser. Pour the wine into the saute pan and deglaze over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen the fond from the bottom of the pan. Pour the wine over the oxtails, then add the tomatoes, trotter, onion, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Add water just to cover the oxtails along with 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a lazy simmer and skim off any particulates that rise to the surface. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours.
When both the oxtails and the trotter are fork-tender, using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a platter. Line a colander with cheesecloth and strain the broth through the colander into a stockpot. Place the pot over medium heat and cook until reduced by about 1/4. Ladle the broth to a depth of 1/2" in a ramekin and refrigerate for 20 minutes. If it is firm and gelatinous when chilled, it is ready. If still runny, reduce further and test again. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Pull all the meat off the oxtails and trotter, discarding the skin and bones. Toss the meat with the paprika and parsley and green onions. Line a terrine pan with plastic wrap, overhanging the edges by about 2". Ladle a small amount of the cooking broth into the bottom to cover 1/2". Follow with a layer of roughly half the meat. Press this down gently. (A good ceramic terrine pan has a presser included.) Cover with about 1/2 cup more liquid, followed by the remainder of the meat. Press gently again, and then top with a bit more liquid to cover. You shouldn't need all of the liquid and the rest can be saved for soups or sauces. Bring the plastic wrap overhang over to cover and refrigerate overnight to set.
Remove the terrine from the fridge and invert onto a cutting board. Carefully lift off the vessel. (Do not bring to room temperature before unmolding.) Carefully peel away the plastic wrap, then slice. If serving later, transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment and re-refrigerate until serving. Serve with a strong mustard-caper sauce and a handful of spicy cress.
What worked: This was excellent, and a good first foray into terrine-making. It tasted like a concentrated oxtail stew in solid form. The leftover brown cooking stock is faboo and is in the freezer. It was pretty as well. It was an excellent dinner with fresh bread and a salad with a Dijon vinaigrette. The green onions added a nice bit of crunch and color contrast to go with the parsley.
What didn't: It was tougher than I expected to remove; I ended up slicing a knife around the edges. Next time I'll spray the inside of the plastic wrap. Also, the meat (while fork-tender) would not have been harmed from another hour or two of simmering. I'd also chop up the meat a bit more finely. Slightly salty (although the pepper/paprika amount was just right).
Will I make it again? Sure, although probably not soon.
5 lb oxtails, cut crosswise in 2" pieces
salt
2 Tbsp lard
2 c dry red wine
2 c canned tomatoes in juice
1 pig trotter, split
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal 1" thick
5 cloves garlic, peeled and whole (Ha! I used... more.)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp paprika
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley
(I added: three green onions, chopped)
Rinse the oxtails under cool running water and pat dry. Place in a large bowl and season liberally with salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, melt the lard over medium-high heat in a heavy saute pan. Add the oxtails in a single, uncrowded layer and brown well on all sides. (Stage as needed.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the oxtails to a large braiser. Pour the wine into the saute pan and deglaze over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen the fond from the bottom of the pan. Pour the wine over the oxtails, then add the tomatoes, trotter, onion, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Add water just to cover the oxtails along with 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a lazy simmer and skim off any particulates that rise to the surface. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours.
When both the oxtails and the trotter are fork-tender, using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a platter. Line a colander with cheesecloth and strain the broth through the colander into a stockpot. Place the pot over medium heat and cook until reduced by about 1/4. Ladle the broth to a depth of 1/2" in a ramekin and refrigerate for 20 minutes. If it is firm and gelatinous when chilled, it is ready. If still runny, reduce further and test again. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Pull all the meat off the oxtails and trotter, discarding the skin and bones. Toss the meat with the paprika and parsley and green onions. Line a terrine pan with plastic wrap, overhanging the edges by about 2". Ladle a small amount of the cooking broth into the bottom to cover 1/2". Follow with a layer of roughly half the meat. Press this down gently. (A good ceramic terrine pan has a presser included.) Cover with about 1/2 cup more liquid, followed by the remainder of the meat. Press gently again, and then top with a bit more liquid to cover. You shouldn't need all of the liquid and the rest can be saved for soups or sauces. Bring the plastic wrap overhang over to cover and refrigerate overnight to set.
Remove the terrine from the fridge and invert onto a cutting board. Carefully lift off the vessel. (Do not bring to room temperature before unmolding.) Carefully peel away the plastic wrap, then slice. If serving later, transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment and re-refrigerate until serving. Serve with a strong mustard-caper sauce and a handful of spicy cress.
What worked: This was excellent, and a good first foray into terrine-making. It tasted like a concentrated oxtail stew in solid form. The leftover brown cooking stock is faboo and is in the freezer. It was pretty as well. It was an excellent dinner with fresh bread and a salad with a Dijon vinaigrette. The green onions added a nice bit of crunch and color contrast to go with the parsley.
What didn't: It was tougher than I expected to remove; I ended up slicing a knife around the edges. Next time I'll spray the inside of the plastic wrap. Also, the meat (while fork-tender) would not have been harmed from another hour or two of simmering. I'd also chop up the meat a bit more finely. Slightly salty (although the pepper/paprika amount was just right).
Will I make it again? Sure, although probably not soon.
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no subject
Date: 2014-01-27 01:10 am (UTC)What is the purpose of the overnight salting? I've not done that - or seen it - with oxtail before; and given what you say about saltiness at the end there, I am thinking I might leave it out unless there's a very obvious benefit. (In which case one might rinse and dry the oxtails before cooking?)
no subject
Date: 2014-01-27 03:46 pm (UTC)