Caribbean Oxtail Stew

You know it’s a real traditional meal in the English-speaking Caribbean when you are presented with a dish of fragrant oxtail stew. The slow-cooked dish is always dense with flavor and “more-ish,” meaning a second helping is the norm. Typically, it’s seasoned with browning, a sauce prepared using a burned-sugar technique that imparts a hint of caramelized flavor.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. canola oil
  2 lb. oxtails, cut into 2″ pieces
  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  3 tbsp. tomato paste
  1 tbsp. minced ginger
  6 cloves garlic, minced
  2 large yellow onions, chopped
  1 small carrot, chopped
  1 rib celery, chopped
  2 tbsp. flour
  4 cups beef stock
  1 tbsp. whole allspice berries
  4 sprigs thyme
  2 habanero chiles
  2 tbsp. light brown sugar
  1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  4 scallions, roughly chopped
  Cooked rice, for serving

Method:

1. Heat oil in an 8-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat; season oxtails with salt and pepper. Add to pot; cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate; set aside. Add tomato paste, ginger, garlic, onions, carrot, and celery; cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add flour; cook until smooth, about 2 minutes. Return oxtails to pot with stock, allspice, thyme, and chiles; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until oxtails are tender, about 1½ hours.

2. Add sugar and Worcestershire to pot and cook until liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes. Garnish with scallions and serve with rice.

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