Tasty Tails and Fragrant Fruit

Every time I go to Las Vegas, I'm always sure to make a pit stop at The Cal for their oxtail soup. It's only served on their graveyard menu after 11pm, but it's well worth the wait. The broth is delicious and the meat falls right off the bone. I grew up with my grandmother and mother making oxtail soup and I've never tried to attempt it myself. My mom gave me a new recipe she created to make the soup in a crockpot, so I thought I would give it a try. Also, I had some fresh cilantro from CSA this week which worked perfectly. I love crockpot recipes because you can make them in the morning, leave them alone for the day, and you have a wonderful dinner that night. This recipe is so easy and does not call for many ingredients, perfect after a long day of studying.

The funny part about this dish is that I saw a patient this week who spurred me to make oxtail soup. I can't say much about why he was in the hospital, but it had something to do with Hamhock and Beans. My mentor told me that hamhock was oxtail and showed a picture which looked disgusting. It was a giant brown mass smothered in beans. That was not the oxtail I grew up with and loved, so I did some research myself. Turns out, according to the reliable source wikipedia, hamhock is actually the joint between the tibia/fibula and the metatarsals of the foot of a pig. Completely different part of the body from a completely different animal. So the oxtail soup cravings began.

I picked up some packages of oxtail from the local Asian grocery store, they were about nine dollars a package. I ended up cooking the soup for about eight hours on low heat and the meat and veggies were still tough. I'm not sure if I should have just cooked them for longer or if my crockpot is on its last leg (it's a hand-me-down from my mom, circa probably 1980). If I make this dish again, I will probably cook on low for 8 hours and then high for 2 hours. I served this dish tonight and it was so hard to get the meat off the bone that we ended up using steak knives. So I turned the heat up to high, grabbed some sushi for dinner, and when I came back, the meat and veggies were super tender.
I also thought it would be fun to try durian, the one food Andrew Zimmern couldn't eat. If you're not familiar with the fruit, it is known for it's terrible smell but Asians still love it. A friend described it as smelling like "rotten pineapple" and I think that was pretty spot on. I bought a small package from the Asian grocery store and tried it after our soup. Not only is the odor an experience, but the texture and flavor...wow. It feels like you're eating mushy baby vomit and it tastes like a sweet rotten egg. Obviously, you can tell I'm not a fan. But some people love this stuff and more power to them.

Oxtail Soup

• 2 packages oxtails
• 3 cubes beef bouillon
  
• 3 slices ginger
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 bay leaves
• 4-5 sliced carrots
• 3 stalks celery
• Condiments: grated ginger, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, soy sauce

Cover oxtails in crockpot with enough water to cover (about 8 cups). Add all of the above ingredients and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Increase temperature to high for the last 2 hours. To serve, ladle oxtail, broth, and vegetables into bowl and dip meat into condiments.