BRAISED OXTAIL WITH GINGER, FIVE SPICE, AND GARLIC

This story was created by our partners at the Heavy Table, a weekly culinary newsletter dedicated to covering the best food and drink of the Upper Midwest. Back them on Patreon to receive four distinct email newsletters focused on dining, the restaurant business, spirits, and home cooking: http://www.patreon.com/heavytable

Braised oxtail and sweet potato puree are perfect fits for cold, dark days.
By Roseanne Pereira

“With its long hours of darkness and a sky that seems to sit so low that it rests on my shoulder, the English winter can seem very bleak to me. It can also feel a little desolate in terms of fruit and vegetables. Once the abundance of fall has dwindled, we are left with apples, pears, chards, and root vegetables, but little else…” So writes Australian chef Skye Gyngell in her cookbook A Year in My Kitchen.

Does this resonate? I too feel like winter produce can seem like being barred from using all the colors in the box. Everything goes orange.

Gyngell goes on to write, though, that: “Winter’s true saving grace is the desire it arouses to cook long, slow comforting dishes. For less money at this time of year, we can produce dishes of real substance with complex, intense flavors that are deeply satisfying.” And her cookbook is full of recipes that do just that—from braised lentils to lamb with prunes, spicy meatballs with cilantro and dried sour cherries to a simple winter salad of prosciutto, chestnuts, and sage. Gyngell, who passed away in November, was widely known in the UK for her restaurants there, including Petersham Nurseries, which earned a Michelin star while still retaining a rustic feel.

I never met Skye Gyngell and never went to any of her restaurants, but she’s the kind of person whose food writing makes me think I’d have liked her if I did. Her quality of attention and even gratitude for the produce she cooked with remains an inspiration. She advised when buying produce to ask yourself, “Does its very appearance make me hungry?” and offered practical insights like, “As a rule of thumb, all vegetables that grow below the ground go into cold water and all vegetables that grow above ground go into boiling water.”

At one point in her book, she explains the concept of agrodolce as achieving harmony from contrasting tastes, and adds, “You will come across agrodolce in most of my recipes, using the balance of tamari and maple syrup, or fish sauce and jaggery, or pickled fruits and salty pungent cheeses like feta, or young lemony goat cheese with tomato and chile jam or pickled figs...”

In choosing recipes to share, I decided to start with the sweet potato. Gyngell writes that because Australians eat a lot of sweet potatoes (and pumpkin and squash), those vegetables remind her of home. I think this means she’s thought more deeply about sweet potatoes than most of us!

Two recipes adapted from A Year in My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell.

Gyngell describes the final result as “a sticky, fragrant, and beautifully rich meat dish that literally melts in your mouth.” It pairs well with the purée above or with steamed rice. You can typically find frozen oxtail at co-ops.

2 ¼ pounds oxtail, cut into large pieces
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
2 fresh red chiles, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
bunch of cilantro
1 Tbsp Chinese five spice powder
2 (14-ounce) cans good-quality chopped tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
¼ cup fish sauce
¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup jaggery or 5 Tbsp maple syrup
Salt to taste

Put the oxtail into a large pot over high heat, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer (gently!) for 15 minutes, then pour off the water. Rinse the oxtail thoroughly under cold running water and set aside to drain.

Place a large pot or casserole over medium heat and add the oil. When hot, add the onions, ginger, chiles, and garlic. Turn down the heat to low and sweat gently for 10 minutes, or until the onions become translucent.

Meanwhile, separate the cilantro leaves and stems. Set the leaves aside for garnishing and mince the stems. Add these to the pot along with the five spice powder. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes, releasing aromatic flavors.