Cabrito Guisada

Sometimes, life is super busy and you let things you really enjoy slip to the wayside. That's what happened to me with my cooking and without cooking, I had nothing to blog about. The past six months have been jam packed. I graduated from law school only to spend my entire summer studying for the bar exam. I took the bar exam and then spent most of August being a total bum. I figured I had earned it. And now I find that it's almost October and it's about time I get back into the swing of things.

These tacos are something I made the day after my last final. I had the urge to get creative in the kitchen and jaunted over to to Central Market for inspiration. It just so happened that the store was having a celebration of all things Spanish and had stocked their meat counter with all sorts of goodies from Spanish chorizo and blood sausage to Iberico pork tenderloins to cabrito leg. Now I spent a glorious 13 days in Spain over Christmas and never once saw cabrito on any menu, so I'm not sure exactly what is Spanish about it, but I wasn't asking questions. I was just happy to see it!

Cabrito is a kid (aka baby goat) and quite tasty. It's actually quite a popular meat everywhere else in the world, but I've only seen it at a handful of the more authentic Mexican restaurants in the states, where it's usually served roasted with a side of tortillas. Cabrito leg is a tougher cut of meat so it benefits from slow cooking methods such as roasting, braising and barbecuing. I chose to braise my cabrito leg as I like the moist cooking method braising provides over roasting and I didn't have access to a pit for barbecuing.

As cabrito is rather hard to find, you could sub a lamb of leg or Boston Butt for the goat.

Braised Cabrito

Serves 6

For Marinade:

• 2.5 lb. cabrito leg
• Juice of one orange
• Juice of two limes
• 1 canned adobe chile pepper
• 2 dried Mexican chile peppers*
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

For Braise:

• 8oz. tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 12oz. Bohemia or other dark Mexican beer
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tablespoon Chipotle chili powder
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander 
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• 2 teaspoons epazote**
• 2 teaspoons salt

1. Place the dried chili peppers in a boil and cover in boiling water for 30 minutes to rehydrate. If needed, place an object over the peppers to keep them submerged. After rehydration, reserve one cup of the water the peppers were soaking in.

Adding more citrus to the
marinade will reduce the spicy factor.

2. Combine all the marinade ingredients (beside the cabrito leg) and the reserved liquid in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Place the cabrito leg in a ziploc bag and pour over the marinade. Place the bag in the refrigerator and let the cabrito leg marinate for at least six hours but no more than twenty four.

3. When ready to cook, remove the cabrito leg from the refrigerator, and preheat the oven to 350.

4. In a dutch oven, whisk together the tomato paste and water over medium heat until smooth. Add the seasonings and beer and stir to mix together. Add the quartered onion and garlic cloves, then bring the liquid to a boil.

5. Place the cabrito leg and marinade into the pot. The goal is to have the leg submerged as much as possible. Cover and place the pot into the oven. Cook for 2.5 hours or until tender, checking at 45 minute intervals. If, like me, your pot isn't big enough to completely submerge the leg, you'll need to flip the leg over every half hour so that it cooks evenly without drying out.

6. To add more flavor, once the cabrito leg is cooked, remove the leg and place pot on the stove. Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Continue to cook until liquid is reduced by about half. While the liquid is cooking down, shred the meat. Once reduced, add the meat back to the pot.

To serve, I went with the method that was most familiar to me, tacos. I used corn tortillas and garnished with the traditional toppings of cilantro, diced white onion and lime juice. I also added some queso fresco, because everything is made better with a little cheese.

*I used one guajillo pepper and one casabel pepper, but you can vary depending on your preferred heat level and what's available at your grocer.

**Epazote is a Mexican herb that's traditionally used in beans because it's said to reduce their "musical effect" if you catch my drift. I found it in the bulk section at Central Market but it can easily be omitted.

Parmesan Turnip Soup

TURNIPS!! These are a vegetable I have just recently gotten into. This past winter, I found myself in a vegetable rut and decided to broaden my horizons. I first used turnips in a pot roast and was immediately a fan.

I've noticed an increasing number of
grocery stores who sell Parmesan rinds if you
don't have any on hand.

I've found that turnips can really be used in almost the exact same ways you can use other root vegetables, such as potatoes. However, unlike potatoes, these suckers have a bitter bite.

At my last visit to my farmer's market, my favorite vegetable vendor had great looking turnips and I picked up a container. After getting home and surveying my fridge, I discovered I had lots odds and ends leftover from the previous week and decided the best way to use up everything would be a soup.

Wanting to add some greens, I headed to the store with the original intention of buying spinach, but made a last minute decision to go with turnip greens instead as I had never cooked with them before and thought it might add to the turnipness of the soup.

Make sure the greens are well
rinsed to avoid any grit in the soup.

The real key to this soup is letting it sit so the flavors have time to stand out. When I first took the pot of the burner, the soup tasted rather bland, like it was missing something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

However, after sitting for about an hour the flavors began to come together and stand out, especially the nutty, saltiness of the Parmesan rinds. This is definitely one of those soups that gets better the next day. Also, bacon would be really good in this soup, I just didn't have any on hand.

Of note, the addition of turnip greens does give the soup a distinct flavor which some might find too harsh.

Swapping spinach for the turnip greens would mellow the bitter bite turnips can sometimes have...

Parmesan Turnip Soup

Serves 5

• 5 large turnips, scrubbed and diced
• 1 lb. turnip greens, rinsed and cut into strips
• 1/2 lb. ground turkey
• 1 large leek, rinsed and chopped
• 2 large shallots, rinsed and chopped
• 32 oz. chicken stock
• 14.5 oz. vegetable stock
• 3 Parmesan rinds
• 1 tbs. parsley flakes
• 2 tps. chili flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Brown turkey and remove from pan. Add leeks and shallots and saute for 7 minutes until softened. Add turnips and saute for another 5 minutes.

2. Add parsley, chili flakes, salt, pepper, bay leaves, Parmesan rinds and browned turkey to the pot. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Let cook for one hour, stirring occasionally, until the turnips are tender.

3. Turn off heat and stir in the turnip greens. Cover the pot and let the soup sit for at least 15 minutes, giving the greens time to wilt.

Mama Dear's Stuffed Peppers

Last week was my (hopefully) last spring break ever, and unfortunately it turned out to be a little tumultuous. This meant that when I got home, I was in major need of comfort food, stat. One recipe immediately came to mind: the stuffed bell peppers my dad made when I was little.

Pick peppers that are similar in shape
and have flat bottoms.

As a kid, I used to love sitting in the kitchen watching my dad cook and stuff peppers was by far my favorite dish in my dad's repertoire. Back then I wasn't too fond of the actual pepper--I was more of a stuffing only gal. Of course, tastes change as you get older and now I think the roasted pepper is the best part of the dish! Even though it's been boiled and roasted, the pepper adds a firm texture that provides a nice contrast to the stuffing.

I did some digging around at my mom's house and found my dad's cookbook where he had handwritten the recipe for stuffed peppers. I was surprised to learn that the recipe is actually credited to my great-grandmother, whom my dad's generation lovingly referred to as Mama Dear.

The stuffing needs to be
a thick, paste like consistency.

I had no idea my family had been eating these peppers for over four generations! I stuck pretty true to her recipe but made some minor changes, mostly to satisfy my love for heat.

*For a more traditional take, simply omit the hot peppers and Sriracha sauce.

Of note, after stuffing the peppers, I had about a half cup of the stuffing leftover. Scrambled with some eggs, it made a fantastic breakfast for dinner the next day! I love when a recipe can do double duty.

Stuffed Peppers

Serves 4

• 4 large green bell peppers
• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 pan cornbread, crumbled
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 yellow caribe peppers (or jalapenos), diced
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp. oregano
• Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce
• 5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350. Remove the tops of the bell peppers and seed, reserving and dicing the tops. Boil peppers until they turn color but are still firm, about 3-5 minutes. Drain upside down.

3. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, bell peppers and hot peppers and saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Add ground beef and continue to cook until browned.

4. To the skillet, add crumbled cornbread, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, oregano and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add salt, pepper and sriracha* to taste. Mix well and stuff into peppers.

5. Place peppers in baking pan and add remaining 1/2 cup water. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the tops of the peppers form a golden crust.

*I used approximately 1 tsp. of sriracha

Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've mentioned before that I have a 2011 Kitchen Resolution List. This year, I want to make real effort to cook with new-to-me ingredients, explore different techniques and...bake (duhn duhn duhn!). To be honest, baking scares the pants off of me. I really love the creative aspect of cooking and to me, baking seems like more of a science--a subject I was never very good at or particularly cared for.

The syrup and sugar will give the bacon a burned
appearance, but shouldn't affect the taste.

I think the reason I've to this point been intimidated by baking is you make one misstep and the whole experiment goes awry. Not enough yeast? The bread doesn't rise. Beat the eggs for too short of a time? Your soufflé falls. Forget the baking powder? Those biscuits will be flat, hard discs. And do you know how many different opinions there are on whether or not to salt cookies?!

However, it's March and baking is the only Kitchen Resolution I have yet to tackle successfully tackle (There was one, unfortunate biscuit incident. See above comment about baking powder), so I put aside my baking doubt and decided on cookies. The creativity is what draws me to cooking, so I didn't want to make just any plain old Jane recipe. I searched for hours, but couldn't find anything I liked. Finally, I consulted my mom (a cookie baking extraordinaire) to help me come up with a basic cookie recipe. Then, I spiced it up a bit.

Ideally, let the cookies cool for
at least 5 minutes.

Now, I was pretty nervous that not only was I making cookies from scratch, by myself for the first time, but it was also my *own* recipe. And thankfully, I couldn't be happier with how they turned out! Hope you enjoy.

Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes Approximately 36 cookies

• 1/2 lb. bacon
• 3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks), room temperature
• 1/4 cup bacon grease*, room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar + 1 tablespoon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 large eggs, room temperature 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup + 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Coat bacon slices in maple syrup and lightly dust with brown sugar. Fry over medium high heat until crispy. Drain on paper towels and then chop once cooled.

2. Preheat the oven to 350. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a one bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, beat sugar, butter and bacon grease on high until fluffy. Reduce to medium speed and add eggs, vanilla and maple syrup. Mix until combined.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in thirds until combined. Stir in the bacon and chocolate chunks and chips with a wooden spoon.

5. Using a spoon, shape dough into 1 inch balls and place half an inch apart. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. Let cool slightly and then remove to cookie rack.

*I keep a jar of bacon grease in my refrigerator. If you don't have any, substitute with butter. Do not use the bacon fat rendered above as the maple and brown sugar used to coat the bacon will effect the color and taste of the bacon grease.

Pork Chili Verde

It's officially March, and while I'm very much looking forward to the gorgeous days Spring brings, I'm somewhat lamenting the fact that those frigid nights perfect for curling up by a fire with a bowl of hearty stew are ending.

Unfortunately, I fear that this current "cold" front that just blew into Houston might bring one of the last nights where the temperature falls below 50, and I plan to take full advantage.

You can either dice the poblano
or cut it into strips.

I made this stew a few weeks ago and froze the leftovers. I'm definitely pulling them out tonight to enjoy on one of the few cold nights we have left in Houston.

Pork Chili Verde

Serves 4 - 5

• 1.5 lbs. pork stew meat,
  seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 poblano peppers, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 can white hominey
• 2 cups tomatillo salsa
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
• 12 ounces Mexican lager beer,
  at room temperature
• 1 cup chicken stock
• olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Add pork and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

Give everything a good stir to make
sure the spices mix evenly.

2. Add spices, onions and poblano peppers. Stir to mix the vegetables, spices and pork together. Cook for another 5 -7 minutes to allow vegetables to soften. Add the hominey.

3. Pour in the beer to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits if necessary. Add the salsa and chicken stock, stirring to combine.

4.Let the liquid come to a simmer. Cover the pot and stirring occasionally, cook over low heat for an hour and a half or until the pork is tender.

For the Love of Salsa Verde

I love patios almost as much I love Tex-Mex themed happy hours. In my opinion, summer happy hours don't get much better than sitting on a shady patio with a limey margarita on the rocks, an ice cold Pacifico (That's right! In my ideal happy hour, I'm double fisting!), crispy chips and a firey salsa. Thankfully, I'm lucky enough to live in a climate where it's almost always patio season and there is an abundance of Tex-Mex restaurants.

In a fully ripe tomatillo, the husk is
beginning to separate from the fruit.

While living in Fort Worth, my default patio of choice was Chimy's. I probably spent way too many afternoons at this little joint drinking margaritas and consuming baskets of chops. This place is almost perfect, minus the fact that their salsa sucked. It tasted a lot like just chopped tomatoes. In fact, almost every Mexican joint I ever went to in Fort Worth* had bad salsa. For some reason, I've found that when you venture out of South Texas, the salsas you find tend to be seriously lacking in the heat department and only of the red variety.

Look for firm tomatillos with
bright green skin color.

While sub par salsa is doable for short sojourns away from Houston, in college I found myself homesick for the tangy, spicy salsa verdes I had grown up on and resorted to making my own. This recipe got me through many rough days when I needed the comfort of home and is still my go-to salsa recipe. It's super quick to make and a real crowd pleaser. Plus, one batch makes enough to feed an army.

*One notable exception to the below average salsa in Fort Worth is Mi Cocinita, a true hidden gem. It's located in the garage of a grandmother's house and most days she's the one the kitchen cooking for you. It's a must visit if you're ever in Fort Worth. And don't let the chickens roaming the streets scare you off!

Salsa Verde

Makes 5 cups

• 1.5 lbs. tomatillos, husks removed
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 - 2 jalapenos, depending on desired heat factor
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 limes, juiced
• Salt
• Pepper

1. You need to char the outer skin of the jalapenos. If you're lucky enough to have a gas stove, this can be done by rotating the peppers slowly over the flame for a few minutes. If, like me, you're stuck with an electric cook top, lightly coat the jalapenos in olive oil and stick under the broiler, turning every few minutes. Once the skin is charred, place the jalapenos in a covered container or plastic bag for 15 minutes. This will allow for easy removal of the skin.

2. Meanwhile, bring a salted pot of water to boil and drop in the tomatillos. Let them cook at a gentle boil for 10 minutes, until the tomatillos have turned a very light lime green. Remove from pot.

3. Working in batches if necessary, add the tomatillos, quartered onions, jalapenos, cilantro and lime juice to a blender and blend until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve me with crispy tortilla chips and an ice cold Pacifico!

I prefer the salsa verde served warm with a cold cerveza, but it's also equally delicious cold.

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

I have a slight love affair with butternut squash. It is hands down my favorite squash and one of my favorite vegetables. My old stand by recipe is butternut squash risotto with walnuts and blue cheese, a fantastic combination. Recently though, I've been trying to think outside of my normal cooking box and try using some of my favorite ingredients in new ways.

Macaroni and cheese is another favorite dish of mine as well, but I have to admit I rarely cook it. Most recipes are time intensive and involve dirtying multiple pots. And frankly, my wrist gets tired from whisking that Mornay sauce that makes baked mac and cheese so good. Most of the time, I'd rather get my mac and cheese fix while eating out at a restaurant, especially because this means I don't have first hand knowledge of all the cream, butter and cheese that goes into it.

For the past week though, I've had an intense cheese craving that just hasn't gone away, which isn't good considering I'm making a conscious effort to eat healthy(ish). However, I had a moment of genius on Monday -- Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. I'd go full out on the cheese, but use 1% milk to make the Mornay sauce (blasphemy, I know) and add roasted butternut squash for a dose of vegetables.  While this is far from the rich, decadent macaroni and cheese that holds a special place in my heart, it's a pretty damn good substitute. And I don't feel as bad when I go back for that extra helping.

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Serves 8 as a Side Dish

• Butternut Squash
• 8 oz. whole wheat pasta (I used a Pipe Rigate)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups 1% milk, room temperature
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated (plus some extra for topping)
• 1 cup  Emmentaler cheese, grated (plus some extra for topping)
• 8 sage leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 handfuls panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• Pepper

Fresh Out of the Oven

1. Preheat oven to 425. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds. Place the squash flesh side down on a greased baking sheet, rub olive oil on top of skin, and roast for 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool slightly and scrape flesh away from skin.

2. While the squash is cooking, bring a pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta for 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and then combine it with the butternut squash in a greased casserole dish.

3. Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Slowly whisk in the milk and add the sage, nutmeg and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, being careful not to let the liquid boil and stirring frequently as to prevent scalding at the bottom. Begin to whisk at a fast pace and add in the cheese a few tablespoons at a time, making sure all the cheese has melted before adding anymore.

Delicious!

4. Once all the cheese has melted, pour the sauce over the pasta. Top with remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Cook for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until the sides begin to bubble. For a browner crust, leave the dish in the oven for an additional 5 minutes under the broiler. Cool slightly before eating.

Experimenting with Jerusalem Artichokes

I was strolling my farmers market when I happened upon a new vendor. They didn't have much, but a big basket of Jerusalem artichokes caught my eye.

I almost passed these babies up as
ginger until I realized exactly what they were.

I've previously mentioned, one of my 2011 cooking goals is to incorporate ingredients I've never used before in my cooking. As it happens, Jerusalem artichokes are on that list, so I bought a bag and headed home to brainstorm.

After some Googling, I was surprised at how few recipes were out there. The ones I came across were mainly for soups or purees. Feeling very uninspired, I tossed them in the crisper and actually forgot all about them. I rediscovered them the next week when I was in the mood for soup and rummaging around my fridge for some leftover vegetables.

For lack of better words, peeling
these are a complete pain in the ass.

Good news though, Jerusalem artichokes are fairly resilient. While not at their freshest, they were definitely usable for soup. I combined the Jerusalem artichokes with a bunch of leeks and let them simmer in vegetable stock with Parmesan rinds. The flavor was great. Jerusalem artichokes taste like a cross between a white potato and an artichoke heart, perfect ingredient for a soup.

Of note, be sure to really scrub these suckers. They have all sorts of crooks and crannies where dirt loves to cling. I gave mine two rinses, before and after peeling.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

Serves 2 - 3

• 3/4 lb. Jerusalem Artichokes, washed and peeled, sliced into chunks
• 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced in halve lengthwise and then sliced thinly along the half
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 32 oz. vegetable stock*
• 4 Parmesan rinds
• Chili flakes
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 sprigs thyme, removed from stem

1. Heat butter in a pot over medium heat until melted. Add leeks, chili flakes, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add Jerusalem artichokes and sauté for an additional 3 minutes.

2. Pour in vegetable stock and add Parmesan rinds. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

3. Remove the Parmesan rinds. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. I pureed mine almost all the way through, but wish I had left it a little more chunky as I really enjoyed the flavor of the pieces of Jerusalem artichoke.

For the soup's base, I sauteed leeks with
the artichokes to enhance the earthy flavors of both.

*I used a vegetable broth that was a rather dark color, making my finished soup a not-so-appetizing brown color, which is why there isn't a photo of the final product. I loved the flavor, but if serving for guests, I would use a lighter colored vegetable broth or maybe even chicken broth.

Boyfriend Visits & Braised Oxtails

My boyfriend has always been a more than willing guinea pig when it comes to trying out new recipes I've concocted or stumbled upon. However, we are currently separated by some 250 odd miles of the barren landscape that is I-45 while he finishes up college. This means that my go-to taste tester is usually only available to me a couple of times a month. And I take full advantage of those visits. I'm not going to lie, I usually go a little crazy. I start to plan what I'm going to cook for him well in advance of his arrival. We have elaborate happy hours that usually involve more cheese and charcuterie than is healthy for two people to eat in a sitting. Sometimes we don't even make it to the main course. This past visit however was not one of those times.

I have several kitchen-based New Year's resolutions, one of them being to familiarize myself with ingredients that, for one reason or another, I've never cooked with or have been purposefully avoiding.  In the week before my boyfriend's visit I happened to notice that Central Market (maybe the best grocery store ever!) had packages of oxtails available. Perfect! A cut of meat that I happen to love but had never cooked with, mainly because I thought prepping oxtails would be very labor intensive. I was semi-right, but mainly because I shredded them.

After scouring numerous sources, I compiled a recipe for Oxtail Ragu loosely based on a recipe from one of my new cookbooks. The Ragu turned out fantastic and is definitely a recipe I'll be putting in my make again pile. Perhaps next time with homemade gnocchi, another item on my Kitchen Resolution To-Do List.

Braised Oxtails 

I served the oxtails over gnocchi, but it
would also be good with polenta or pasta.

Braised Oxtails over Gnocchi

Makes 4 - 6 Servings

• 2.5 lbs. Oxtail (look for larger pieces as these usually have more meat)
• 1/4 lb. Pancetta, diced
• 1 medium White Onion, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 cup Carrot, diced
• 1 cup Celery, diced
• 1/3 cup Tomato Paste
• 2 cups Red Wine (I used a Pinot Noir)
• 2 cups Beef Broth
• Thyme Sprigs (I used four)
• Olive Oil
• Flour
• Salt & Pepper
• Chili Flakes
• Good quality Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1. Heat olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Working in batches, dust the oxtails in flour seasoned with salt & pepper. Brown the oxtails for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and place on plate that can accumulate any juices which may seep out.

2. Add onion and chili flakes into the pan. After sauteing the onions for about 5 minutes, add the pancetta to the pan and continue to cook for another 4 minutes. Then add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.

3. Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir until mixed. Pour the red wine into pan to deglaze and then add beef broth. Bring to a simmer.

4. Place oxtails and accumulated juices in a dutch oven large enough to arrange in a single layer. Scatter the diced carrots and celery over the oxtails. Then pour the wine mixture over the oxtails. If mixture doesn't cover oxtails, add more liquid. Put thyme sprigs on top and cover.

5. Cook over low heat for 2.5 hours or until you can pierce the oxtail easily with a fork.

6. Remove the oxtails from the pan and let the sauce reduce by half, skimming off fat as the sauce cooks down. Once the oxtails have cooled, pull the meat off the bone and shred. Add the shredded meat back to the pot to reheat and serve immediately or refrigerate over night.

Right before serving, I also grated just a little Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top. I love the subtle salty, nutty taste the cheese adds.