An entry I've been wanting to make and a dish that featured in a Christmas dinner a few years ago. I got this recipe from Restaurant Hotel Emporda in Figueres, opened in the early 1960s by Josep Mercader, considered by some to be the Godfather of Catalan cuisine. This is a large quantity, good for eight.
6 lbs oxtail
6 cups red wine
2 .5 cups tawn port
1 cup cognac
2 ribs of celery
2 carrots, cut into batons
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp juniper berries
2 fresh bay leaves
3 large sprigs of thyme
S&P
6 tblsp peanut oil
1/3 cup flour
2 tblsp EVOO
4 ripe medium tomatoes, peeled & seeded & chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp brewed coffee
8 baked 4" puff pastry circles, warm
- marinate oxtail with wine, port, cognac, celery, carrots, onions, garlic, juniper berries, bay leaves, thyme in large bowl; cover and let marinate in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- preheat oven to 300 degrees; strain marinade into a bowl and set aside; separate out vegetables and aromatics; transfer oxtail to a clean surface and pat dry, then season with S&P.
- heat peanut oil in a large pot; working in batches, brown oxtail all over, 7-10 minutes per batch; return oxtail to pot and roast in oven uncovered for 1.5 hours.
- reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees; transfer pot to medium heat on stove top; add reserved vegetables and aromatics and cook until browned, about 10 minutes; stir in flour, pour in reserved marinade, increase heat to high and bring to a boil; skim away any foam that rises to the surface; cover pot, transfer to oven, and braise about 4 hours until tender.
- to make the tomato confit, heat EVOO, add tomatoes, sugar, coffee and remaining thyme; simmer, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary to prevent confit from boiling; simmer until thick, about an hour; season to taste with S&P, discard thyme; keep confit warm
- strain sauce from braised meat into medium pot, skim off fat and boil over medium heat, skimming occasionally until reduced to 2 1/4 cups, about 20 minutes.
- pick meat off bones and return to pot, discarding fat, sinew, bones, vegetables and aromatics; strain sauce through a sieve into pot with meat; season to taste with S&P; keep warm over lowest heat.
- put one puff pastry circle on each of eight plates; mound the oxtail onto each pastry circle, spoon sauce on top, then garnish with a spoonful of tomato confit.
