Olives and Oxtails

I am sick. I tried to deny it early on in the week, by going about my business as usual, but it was no use. I finally gave up the allergy medicine and succumbed to the powers of NyQuil, finally receiving an ounce of relief. The one bright spot of my tissue clouded week is that in my denial I managed to whip up a dish of oxtail braised with tomatoes and olives served with crispy polenta.

The flavors are deep and warm with tender meat and salty olives perfect for a cozy evening or to soothe and aching throat. Feeling a bit of tomato withdrawal, I broke out the canned stuff (my apartment is the size of a postage stamp, I have no room to put up tomatoes!), to help cure the end of winter blahs. If you buy canned, I definitely recommend going with something like Muir Glen or Eden Organics. I also highly recommend trimming as much fat as possible off of the oxtail or you will wind up with a rather disgusting oil slick covering the luscious velvety sauce.

Olives and Oxtails

2 TBS Olive Oil

6 Oxtail good sized pieces, well trimmed and seasoned with sea salt and pepper

2 Yellow Onions, sliced very thin

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 cup Dry Red Wine

1 28oz can Whole Tomatoes, crushed

Stock, to cover (I used turkey stock)

1 cup Kalamata Olives (or your favorite), sliced in half with the stone removed

1 handful Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

2 TBS Fresh Basil, chopped (thyme would work well too)

Chevre, crumbled to garnish

Brown your seasoned oxtail over medium high heat in a large pot with the olive oil. Remove when browned on all sides and add the onions to the pan, turn down the heat to medium and allow to soften and take on a bit of color. Add in the garlic and oxtails mixing into the onions, deglaze with the red wine after a minute or so. After deglazing, add in the tomatoes, herbs, olives and cover with stock. Allow to simmer on medium low for three hours, give or take and serve piping hot with a few pieces if crispy polenta and a few crumbles of chevre.

Notes: You can serve the oxtail whole or, shred the meat and stir in into the sauce and serve either with polenta (crispy or not) or pasta.  Also there is a bit of an edge to the sauce that I happen to love, but some may not. Add a small amount of diced carrot with the onions at the beginning to smooth things out.

* You may have noticed I forgot the chevre in the photo. I am playing the sick card on this one.

Crispy Polenta

For the crispy polenta, follow the manufacturers instructions for basic polenta preparation, leaving out the butter. Spread the hot polenta out in an even layer on a lined pan and allow to set. Cut out using a biscuit cutter and saute with a little butter until crisp and brown.