Oxtail Soup

I stole adapted this recipe from here.

Notes:

  • The original recipe is oxtail soup. I kept the name, but I use any slow-cookable piece of beef instead.

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo chuck, brisket, or other slow cookable meat (מספר 2, 3, 5, 6)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar plus a bit for browning
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 2 tsp garlic powder (the granules, not the powder)
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp ground allspice (usually you have to buy whole and grind yourself in Israel)
  • Oil as needed
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 4 green onions
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 hot pepper (פילפל חריף)
  • 1 Tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 can white beans

Directions

  1. Make browning by melting the extra bit of brown sugar in a pan until dark and bubbly. Add a bit of water and stir to make a thin sauce.
  2. Cut meat into 1" cubes and marinate for as long as you like in brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, pepper, allspice, and browning.
  3. Cut the vegetables. It’s really not important how big or well. They just turn to mush as part of the stew.
  4. In the pressure cooker, brown the meat in a bit of oil.
  5. Remove the meat from the pressure cooker.
  6. Add a bit of water to get up the crunchy-yum-yums from the bottom of the pot.
  7. Add vegetables and sauté all together. Don’t worry if the pot is crowded.
  8. When the onions are translucent, add thyme and ketchup.
  9. Cook for a bit (10-30 seconds) to get the spice into the oil, then add the meat back to the pressure cooker.
  10. Add about 1 cup of water, then cook for about an hour with the lid sealed. (One day I’ll write an article on how to use the pressure cooker.)
  11. Check the meat to make sure it’s soft. If not, cook longer.
  12. Once the meat is soft, make a slurry of cornstarch and water. Add it to the stew and stir to mix well and avoid any gelatinous clumps.
  13. Return the stew to a boil briefly to make the cornstarch do its thickening magic.
  14. Drain the beans and add to the stew.
  15. Enjoy your culturally-appropriated meal with challah, Kedem grape juice, and zemirois.