Oxtail Stew

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks again to Rosemary Zwick of Cape Town, South Africa for today's
food funny.

A crab and a lobster are secretly dating. Pretty soon, the lobster
tires of the lying and tells her father, who then forbids her to see
the crab anymore. "It'll never work, honey." he says to her. "Crabs
walk sideways and we walk straight."

"Please," she begs her father. "Just meet him once. I know you'll
like him."

Her father finally relents and agrees to a one-time meeting, and she
runs off to share the good news with her crab sweetie. The crab is so
excited he decides to surprise his beloved's family. He practices and
practices until he can finally walk straight. On the big day he walks
the entire way to the lobster's house as straight as he can.

Standing on the porch and seeing the crab walking towards him, the
lobster dad yells to his daughter, "I knew it! Here comes that crab
and he's drunk!"

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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Gone are the days when butchers would practically give oxtails away
for free, but they're still a relatively inexpensive cut of meat. If
your supermarket isn't in the habit of stocking them, they should be
able to special order them for you. Oxtails are rich in gelatin which
gives the gravy in this simple dish an unctuous texture. Serve this
old-fashioned dish over buttered noodles or with mashed potatoes.

Oxtail Stew

4 Tbs (60 ml) butter
3-4 lbs (1.35-1.8 Kg) oxtails cut into individual joints
2 cups (500 ml) beef stock or water
1 cup (250 ml) tomato juice
2 bay (laurel) leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp (2 ml) dried thyme
8-12 small onions, peeled
2-3 ribs celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 Tbs (15 ml) cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with
1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the butter in a large heavy pot over high heat and brown the
oxtail in batches. Combine the oxtails, stock, tomato juice, bay
leaves, and thyme in the same pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the
heat and simmer tightly covered until the oxtails are tender, 3 to 4
hours, adding more stock if needed. Add the onions, celery, and
carrots and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Skim off and discard
as much fat as possible, adding more liquid if necessary to make about
1 1/2 cups (375 ml), and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Simmer
gently, stirring constantly, until the gravy is slightly thickened and
has lost its milky appearance. Adjust the seasoning with salt and
pepper. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Tue Mar 29 03:44:55 2005