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Susan Jung

Oxtail has never achieved the popularity of the other  cuts, such as beef cheeks, short ribs and veal shins, which also  yield silky-textured, tender meat when cooked slowly for an extended time. The amount of meat  obtained from oxtail (which actually comes from cattle) is relatively small but the soup or sauce the joints are cooked in is rich  and sticky from the gelatine in the bones.
Oxtail braised in red wine (pictured)
This recipe comes from food stylist Vivian Herijanto.
30ml canola oil
2.5kg of oxtail
1 large carrot, diced
2 onions, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
100 grams tomato puree
1 litre dry red wine
80ml white vinegar
1 tsp sugar
4 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
3 garlic cloves, minced
225ml chicken stock (preferably homemade or use a canned broth such as Pacific) mixed with 225ml
hot water
45ml fresh lemon juice
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
About 300 grams fresh pappardelle
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Season the oxtail with salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy pot, add the canola oil and when hot, brown the oxtail on all sides then remove it from the pan.
Add the carrot, onion and celery and saute until caramelised. Add the tomato puree and cook for two to three minutes. Stir in the wine, vinegar and sugar, bring to the boil then simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and browned oxtail. Stir in enough hot stock and water to come halfway up the meat. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan with aluminium foil then place in the oven. Cook for 11/2 hours then remove the foil and continue to cook until the oxtail
is tender and the sauce  has become more concentrated (about three hours in total). Turn the oxtail occasionally while cooking.
Remove the oxtail from the pan. Spoon off the fat that floats to the surface of the sauce. Strain the sauce through a colander into a bowl; discard the vegetables and herbs. Pour the sauce back into the pan; if necessary, simmer the sauce to reduce it until it lightly coats a spoon. Taste the sauce and correct the seasoning. Add the oxtail to the pan and keep warm over a low flame.
Boil the pappardelle. When  the pasta is al dente,  drain  it and add to the  oxtail. Add the lemon juice then toss the pasta to coat it  with the sauce.  Serves four to six.
Chinese oxtail soup with mushrooms
1.5kg of oxtail, with the largest pieces (from the base of the oxtail) cut in half
1 piece chung choi (preserved turnip green - it comes in small rolled bundles)
10 large, meaty Chinese mushrooms
About 45ml soy sauce
About 30ml cooking oil
2cm piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small piece chun pei (dried tangerine peel)
1 star anise, broken into pieces
2cm piece of cinnamon stick
Fine sea salt, to taste
Sesame oil, ground white pepper, fresh coriander
sprigs, to garnish
Soak the mushrooms in warm water until soft. Squeeze the water from the mushrooms, remove and discard the thick stems then cut the caps into quarters. Unroll the chung choi and rinse it thoroughly (it's gritty) then  chop.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add the oxtail and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the oxtail through a colander and discard the water. Coat the oxtail lightly with soy sauce. Heat a pot, add 30ml of cooking oil and when it's very hot, brown the oxtail thoroughly (the oil will splatter) then  add just enough water to cover it. Now add the mushrooms, chung choi, ginger, chun pei, star anise and cinnamon. Bring to the boil then lower the heat, cover partially with the lid and cook, barely  simmering, until the oxtail is tender.  Taste for seasoning and add salt, if needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish.
Oxtail and pig's foot with pancetta
The addition of the pig's foot makes this dish even richer and stickier.  This is delicious with grilled polenta.
1 pig's foot, split in half lengthwise then cut into 4cm pieces
About 60ml cooking oil
1.5kg of oxtail, with the largest pieces (from the base of the oxtail) cut in half
100 grams pancetta, sliced about 5mm thick, rind removed
1 large carrot, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
250ml dry white wine
500 grams canned Italian tomatoes, chopped
2 stalks rosemary
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Finely grated zest of one orange
Small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Bring a pot of water to the boil, add the pig's foot,nd boil for about five minutes. Drain and discard the liquid. Dice the pancetta.
Heat the oil in a deep pot,  brown the oxtail on all sides then  set them aside.  Add the pancetta to the pot and cook until it starts to brown. Stir in the carrot, onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook over a low heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. Add the wine, bring to the simmer and cook for about two minutes. Stir in the tomato and rosemary then add the oxtail, pig's foot and about 300ml of  water. Bring to the boil,  turn the heat  to very low,  cover the pan with the lid and cook  until the oxtail is tender. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove the  pig's foot,  pull out and discard the bones, chop the meat and skin and  put them back in the pot.  Adjust the seasoning then  stir in the  zest and  parsley.
styling Vivian Herijanto



Zing in the tail