A Savory Remembrance

My dad loved to cook. I can remember, when I was a child, my dad not only loved to cook—he loved to cook odd things. At least I thought they were odd at the time. He'd make things like Philadelphia Scrapple (using a whole hog's head he'd purchase at the Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles), and Cow's Tongue (which I actually liked sandwiches made from it), and Oxtail Soup. It's the latter that brought back these memories as I was shopping the other day.


I hadn't seen Oxtails for sale in a long time and I happened onto them the other day at Raley's. Seeing them just made me smile and think of Daddy. So I bought them and made the most delicious pot of Oxtail Soup and I want to share the experience with you. Here's what to do should you want to have your own pot of delicious Oxtail Soup.

Start out with about two pounds of oxtails, and place them into a hot dutch oven in which you've swirled some olive oil into the bottom.

Season with your favorite seasonings. I used good sprinkle of my favorite Emeril's Southwest Seasoning . . .

Give'em a good browning on each side . . .

While the oxtails are sizzling away in the pot, chop up a couple stalks of celery, an onion, a couple carrots, and mince up a couple cloves of garlic. If you have fresh herbs, use them. I used a couple springs of thyme and marjoram from the herb garden, and added a couple bay leaves to the pile.

Once the oxtails are browned, toss in the veggies and herbs.

Add a cup of red wine and four cups of beef broth. Give it a stir to pick up the flavorful bits on the bottom of the pan. Cover and simmer on a low flame for two to three hours. Let cool in the fridge overnight and skim any fat off the top in the morning.

After you've skimmed off the fat, it's time to pull the meat off the bones. This can be a bit time consuming but it is so worth it to get the meat out of all the nooks and crannies. I put the meat in the fridge while I cooked the barley. Add another four cups of beef broth and bring it to a simmer. Add the barley and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Grab the oxtail meat from the fridge and add to soup and heat for another 20 minutes or so. And now you're ready to serve!

I think this is our favorite soup now! It's delicious with a nice rich broth and the oxtail is succulent, quite tasty, and very tender.

Life is good!