Oxtail stew (or ‘stew oxtail’ as it is more commonly called in local parlance) is a sentimental favourite of many Trinbagonians. While writing this post I even had a Twitter follower tell me that it’s the first thing she insists on having upon returning home! In the US stew oxtail is more closely identified with Jamaican fare, but I do believe that each island is equally proud of its own takes on this classic Caribbean dish.

In the case of Trinidad-style ‘stew oxtail’ I believe what makes ours distinctive is the combination of our green seasoning marination (dominant in culantro flavour) and the subsequent browning of the meat. Browning meat in Trinidad (as I told Sam Sifton of the New York Times for his piece “A Winter’s Tail”) is mandatory to all stewed preparations and always involves caramelizing it with molten sugar for around 5 minutes before anything else is added. This adds a golden tone to the meat and also imparts a sweetness, that combined with the prior marination, creates a very unique flavour.

I prefer to caramelize my sugar as needed rather than buying ready made bottles of ‘browning’. These have a somewhat bitter flavour in my book. Something that is easily avoided by just doing it from scratch and taking a little care.

To prepare the stew three methods dominate 1) pressure cooker (my mother’s preference) 2) starting it off on the stove and then finishing it in the oven 3) slow cooking on the stovetop. My recipe uses the 3rd method which is the slowest but what I prefer . The depth of flavour and colour that it achieves can not be matched and the result is a close cousin to boeuf bourguignon. J even says it’s better than his mother’s, but we won’t tell her right?

Talking about my mother, this whole oxtail exchange has made her determined to share her Jamaican oxtail recipe which uses chive, thyme, lima beans and tomatoes and doesn’t involve browning. It’s a completely different flavour profile and just goes to show how having a dish by one name in one island, doesn’t mean that’s the dish you’ll get if you are served it on another. Only time will tell if she will stand by those words though so, until then, I’ll leave you with my recipe. Enjoy!

Sarina’s Trinidad-Style Stew Oxtail

INGREDIENTS:

Marinade:

1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tablespoon chopped chive
1 tablespoon chopped culantro (chadon beni)
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp Angostura bitters
1 tbsp ketchup

Stew:

2 lbs. oxtail pieces (they are easily available pre-cut here)
4 potatoes, peeled and roughly cubed
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp sugar
2 large onions, sliced
2 small carrots, diced
4 cups water
1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper
salt

METHOD:

1. Puree marinade ingredients in food processor/blender
2. Combine with oxtail pieces (you can stab them with a small knife to create incisions that will allow the marinade to permeate deeper)
3. Marinate (preferably overnight – a minimum of 2 hours)

4. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.
5. Add sugar to oil and allow to cook until it turns caramel in colour – don’t allow it to smoke!

6. Immediately add oxtail pieces (along with all of the marinade). – If the sugar seizes up at this point that’s perfectly normal it will dissolve.
7. Stir until the oxtail pieces are well-coated and continue to brown for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

8. Add onion slices and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring regularly.

9. Add the 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
10. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
11. Add the hot pepper, potatoes and carrots. Cover.
12. Allow to cook until oxtails are tender, stirring occasionally. (This can take anywhere from 2-4 hours. Check at the 2 hour point for fork tenderness and make sure at all times to not burst the pepper)

13. Add more liquid if needed (you want a thick, shiny gravy) and season with salt and black pepper to taste. This is the first time you’re adding additional seasoning so don’t be afraid to be liberal!
14. Simmer, covered, for an additional 30 minutes.
15. Remove pepper (making sure it remains whole)
16. Enjoy!

This recipe is an exclusive TriniGourmet original. Please do not share it or post it to your site without crediting TriniGourmet.com and linking back to this site

Without a doubt this is definitely one of the best bean soup recipes that I have tried. I have no idea where I got it from, it’s been floating in my recipe file for more than a few years. One of the reasons why I think I avoided it was because parts of the instructions seemed off putting to me. For example, cooking the beans in PLAIN water or 90 minutes seemed totally UGH! However that is all in the past now. I am glad now however that I tried this recipe now, and not 3 years earlier as there are many tips and techniques that I’ve picked up during those years that I think did make a difference in how the soup came out, and I will now humbly pass them on to you

1) Be sure to saute the vegetables thoroughly, you want the flavours to be as deep as possible without burning. The carrots should be deep orange, reduced in size and caramelized with dark brown spots. (I now wish I had taken pics of this, but it was one of those days)
2) Be sure to ‘over-salt’ the vegetable mixture as they saute. This is because this mixture plays an integral partin flavouring the soup ‘broth’ and the beans will also soak up much of it.
3) Be generous, to a flaw, with the cilantro. Just when you think you have put enough, put a little bit more. For the same reasons as above. The beans and the broth need it

The final result is sinfully aromatic, and soothing with the rich herbal tones, and the creamy earthiness that beans impart. It would be amazing on its own, but with the addition of the pesto, it really becomes something else entirely. Swirl it in, sit back and enjoy.

Black Bean Soup with Cilantro Pesto
Servings: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. black beans, soaked overnight
2 onions
3 carrots
3 cloves, garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 6 oz. can tomato paste

Cilantro Pesto:
1 bunch cilantro
10 parsley sprigs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup toasted almonds
3 limes, juice of
4 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

METHOD:
1. Rinse beans in cold water and place in pot with a ratio of twice as much water as beans.
2. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer on the stove, stirring often, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the cilantro pesto.
4. Rinse and coarsely chop the cilantro and parsley.
5. Place the cilantro, parsley, cheese, almonds, lime juice and garlic in a food processor.
6. Blend to a smooth mixture.
7. With the machine running slowly, pour in the olive oil.
8. Add salt and pulse.
9. Store half in refrigerator for a later date and place the rest in a bowl for service.
10. Peel and chop the carrots and onions for the soup, then set aside.
11. Chop the cilantro, and also reserve.
12. Check beans for tenderness.
13. Saute the carrots, onions, and garlic in oil until golden.
14. Add a small amount of the bean liquid to the saute pan to deglaze.
15. Add the vegetables to the soup, then add the tomato paste, cilantro, and salt.
16. Continue to simmer until tender.
17. Serve soup topped with cilantro pesto.

Don’t you just love when a recipe has superlatives built right into the title? This recipe for ‘Best Ever Lentil Soup’ was one that came bundled with my copy of MacGourmet and comes from the beautiful vegan blog Vegalicious. In the past the only lentil soups that I’ve tried have had either a West Indian flair, or an East Indian slant, so the first few sips of this version came as quite a shock to my tastebuds. Instead of the sweetness of plaintains, or the aromatics of cumin, this recipe is redolent with the tastes of smells of what I associate with quintessential French cuisine. As the aroma of bay leaves and herbs meld with the tastes of rich red wine, tangy Dijon, and creamy spinach you are left with a soup that is robust, earthy and wholly comforting. Combine with a rustic slice of bread and a simple green salad and you have a perfect no-fuss, no-mess lunch or dinner.

Best Ever Lentil Soup
Source: Vegalicious.org

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 can tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 cup lentils (brown or green Le Puy), sorted and rinsed
3 cups water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 tbs. thyme or oregano
2 tbs. Dijon mustard
pepper to taste
1 cup leaf spinach (frozen or fresh), slightly chopped

METHOD:
1. Using a large soup pot, heat the oil and add the onions and celery.
2. Saute until they are golden.
3. Add bay leaves and garlic.
4. After two minutes add the tomato paste and wine.
5. Add the lentils and enough broth to cover with a couple inches of liquid.
6. Simmer uncovered, stirring from time to time to keep the lentils from sticking on the bottom.
7. Add water, wine or vegetable bouillon as needed.
8. The soup should cook for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
9. Add a couple tablespoons of thyme or oregano, and season to taste with pepper.
10. Add the spinach and cook gently until the spinach is cooked.
11. At the last minute stir in 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard and serve immediately.

The Ultimate Stew Roundup is now available online. My submission was Trinidad Stew Beef with Herbed Dumplings Do check out the many other entries from around the world Unfortunately the roundup page does not display properly on my system. I have written the blog owner about it. Hope you have better luck than me

I was all set to make a chicken paella this morning, that was until I learnt about the ‘Waiter there’s something in my stew’ challenge which ends tonight. See these days nothing gets me more excited than the 101 food blog challenges that seem to pop up every other minute. I mostly enjoy them because I think they are great way to find new interesting bloggers, and likewise it’s a good way for bloggers to find me I also enjoy them because they force me to revisit my recipe books in new and creative ways.

Stews are something that I don’t make as often as I did a few years ago so I thought it would be interesting to revisit one, a local recipe this time around, that exemplifies the multicultural fusion nature of Trinidadian cooking. From the African influence of initially caramelizing meat, to the European addition of beer, to the presence of Asian soy sauce the only thing that this dish was missing was some curry! But don’t worry I served it with a side of caramelized and fried curried onions… so yum!

And don’t worry, I -will- eventually get around to making that chicken paella as well

Trinidad Stew Beef with Herbed Dumplings
(adapted from a recipe in the Naparima Girls’ High School Cookbook)

Ingredients:

2 lbs stewing beef, cubed
2 tbsp oil
4 tbsp sugar
2 large onions, sliced
1 bottle beer (12 oz)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
dumplings (recipe below)

METHOD:

1. In a heavy frying pan or skillet, heat oil, add sugar and allow to burn until dark brown. (It has been pointed out to me by Marsha and Sylvie in the comments below that I should emphasize the -until dark brown- part … you don’t want it to turn black… this can happen in the blink of an eye so be vigilant. If the sugar ‘siezes’ up when the meat is added don’t stress either, it will redissolve)

2. Add seasoned beef and stir well to coat pieces of meat
3. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly
4. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes more

5. Stir in beer, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and basil

6. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until meat is tender (60-90 minutes)
7. Add dumplings to hot stew

Herbed Dumplings:
Sift 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt. Stir in 1/2-1 cup coconut milk. Dough should be soft not stiff. Add 1 tsp dried herbs.

Drop by spoonfuls.

8. Cover and continue to cook for 15 minutes
9. Adjust salt and pepper and remove bay leaves
10. Serve with rice and vegetables

Makes 6-8 servings