Recipe(tried): Rabo Encendido (Oxtail Stew) (2)

Dear Gladys,

Yes, you are right, oxtail stew (Rabo Encendido) is an acquired taste, but once you have had it, you will never forget it. It is quite a succulent dish with a rich red gravy...every tender bite of those delicous morsels will have you coming back for more. It is usually served with white rice and fried sweet plantains.

I have posted the oxtail stew before on TKL, it is my mother's version and I wouldn't change a thing about it. My mother's love of the kitchen comes out in her Cuban cooking and her passion for distinctive flavorings tantalizes the senses.

Mary Urrutia Randelman's version includes chorizo and potatoes which my Mom's does not include. My mother says that cooking from one end of the island to the other varied...for example, in Havana, Black Beans and Rice are called "Moros y Cristianos", while in Oriente Province it is called "Congris". Another example is the word for banana, in Havana they call it "platanito", in Oriente they call it "guineo". At any rate, Mom insists that food in the southern part of the island is better tasting and more "creole". I suppose it's like in the U.S., the never-ending differences between the South and the North.

I learned to eat this rich stew as a child with our parents and we always looked forward to it when Mom made it, especially the gravy that went over the rice.

Here is a re-posting of Mom's OXtail Stew followed by the recipe given in Memories of a Cuban Kitchen by Maria Urrutia Randelman.

Happy Cooking!

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RABO ENCENDIDO (OXTAIL STEW)
serves 8-10

6 lbs. oxtail, disjointed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 csp. flour
6 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can tomato puree
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 can beef stock
2 cups dry red wine
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. chopped pimiento
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Mix flour with salt, oregano and pepper. Roll the oxtails in the flour. Brown in oil and transfer to a deep casserole.

In the olive oil, saute the onions, garlic and pepper. When the onion is limp add the tomato sauce, cumin and bay leaf. Check seasonings, add pimiento.

Pour sauce over oxtails, add beef broth and wine, stir and place in oven covered.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 2 hours. Check from time to time that there is enought liquid.

Another version which is much quicker is to brown the oxtails in the pressure cooker pot, make the sofrito (oil, onions, peppers and garlic), add the seasonings, all the other ingredients, put it on medium high heat, close the lid and pressure cook it for 25 minutes. Once the little valve starts hissing, lower the heat so that it is a med. sounding even sound and so that you don't burn the tails.

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RABO ENCENDIDO
from Memories of a Cuban Kitchen
makes 6-8 servings

3 to 3 1/2 pounds of oxtail, trimmed of fat, disjointed and cut into 2-inch pieces (your butcher can do this)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup spanish olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup drained and chopped canned tomatoes or prepared tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry cooking sherry
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups Cuban beef stock or canned beef broth
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper or more to taste
1 bay leaf
2 medium size chorizos, or other spicy sausage, sliced 1 inch thick
4 medium size all-purp. potatoes, peeled & quartered

Sprinkle oxtails with salt, pepper and lime juice.

In a large soup kettle over medium heat, heat 1/4 cup oil til fragrant, then brown oxtails on all sides. Transfer to a platter and discard oil.

In the same kettle, heat the remaining oil over low heat til fragrant, then cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic, stirring til tender 6-8 minutes.

Return the oxtails to the kettle and add everything but the potatoes. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Add additional stock if needed.

Add the potatoes and cook an additional 30 minutes, until the oxtails and potatoes are done. Serve hot.