Actually this can take a couple of posts and three days..
I'm having Hubert and Sylvie for lunch and we are in the southwest of France , where food is talked about all day , all night , all year...you get the picture...So I always try to cook something special and I've ordered a super de luxe beef fillet to do a "boeuf ficelle" which is basically poached beef in broth...But HA not any broth...a super de luxe home made broth hence the oxtail!
Which I will use for the broth and then cook a la colombiana..
It sounds like a bad TV series but I promise it will be worth the read..
DAY ONE
Ingredients for the broth
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| perfect oxtail |
- A nice oxtail cut and tied
- Two or three bones (ask your butcher they come for free)
- Two carrots peeled and halved
- One fat leek cut in half
- two stems of celery cut in three pieces
- Three small whole turnips or a big one cut in four pieces
- Two whole unpeeled onions grilled in the oven for about 20 minutes
- Four cloves ,a stem of rosemary, a laurel leaf , a sage leaf , a tea spoon of hot chile , coarse salt
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| free bones from the butcher |
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| vegetables |
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| grilled onions to color the broth |
Plonk the meat and the bones in a big pot and add COLD water.
Then bring to a boil while skimming like mad the revolting foam,this is the key to a perfect broth!
When the skimming is done and the liquid boils happily throw in all the rest of the ingredients , put the lid on ,keep the pot on a low fire and forget about it for the next four hours.
then once cooled put it in the fridge overnight.As it's cold outside it stands on the window sill.
DAY TWO
The next morning you declare war on grease...Most of it has risen to the surface and is easy to discard but still the broth has to be strained through a sieve and cloth.
discard the vegetables,the carrots are perfect for the dog , keep the ox tail aside degrease and shred it.
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| for the master |
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| for the king |
ingredients for the oxtail a la colombiana
- shredded ox tail
- One onion
- A cup of concentrated tomato paste
- Half a glass of white wine
- A tea spoon of sugar
- A dash of hot chile
- Some broth
- coriander or parsley to give a nice touch of green
Brown the onion in olive oil , a splash of white wine , then mix in tomato paste, sugar and chile.
Add the meat, cover and cook on low fire for about an hour adding some broth if needed.
Serve with a sprinkle of herbs. My neighbor Michelle made some
"escoton" which is the french south west cousin of italian polenta but you can opt for polenta or rice or mashed potatoes...
Anything gooey that absorbs the sauce!
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| Enjoy! |
DAY THREE
Now today lets get down to serious business!
Boeuf ficelle served with boiled vegetables and a
salmoriglio sauce.I could have done the typical green sauce , or a tomato sauce or horseradish...But I decided to live dangerously and try a new recipe!!!
ingredients
- A nice piece of beef filet tied up
- A bunch of carrots
- A bunch of turnips
- Half a kilo of small potatoes
- A bunch of parsley and a few leaves of fresh oregano
- A garlic clove
- The juice of two lemons
- A glass of olive oil
- Coarse salt on the table
Actually as far as the vegetables are concerned you can use whatever you fancy...
leeks , onion , cabbage , celery ...ect
The leftover vegetables will make a nice soup so figure out yourself the quantities...The broth can be used for a wonderful risotto...
Boil the vegetables in the broth for about half an hour.
Prepare a sturdy wooden spoon to hang your meat , the broth must be boiling and the meat should be poached without touching bottom or sides of the pot.
If you like your meat red , it takes about 25 minutes for three pounds.
salmoriglio sauce
whisk a glass of olive oil adding slowly a glass of tepid water , then the lemon juice , when the mix looks quite thick add the chopped parsley,garlic and oregano.then heat the sauce on a slow fire always whisking for about five minutes , it's ready ! and it was a great success , a very light sauce to remember , it should also go well with grilled fish , or any adventurous barbecue.
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| the vegetables cook slowly in the broth |
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| the meat is tied up and ready to swim |
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| About 25 minutes hanging there |
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| A dash of parsley for the color |
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| Perfect meat,perfect taste |
Serve with the salmoriglio sauce on the side , coarse salt and mustard.
It was worth it !!!!!
