Braised Oxtails with White Beans
- 1 cup navy beans, picked over for stones and broken beans and rinsed
- 4 pounds oxtails (from the thick end of the tail), cut into 3-inch sections, trimmed of excess fat
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour for dusting
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
- 3 medium onions, sliced 1 inch thick
- 1 celery stalk, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 3 red peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped into 1½-inch pieces
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1½ cups dry red wine
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 cups canned tomatoes, drained
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 cups Chicken Stock or high-quality canned low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
Refrigerate everything in the same container, then reheat after scraping any congealed fat off the surface of the sauce.
- Either soak the beans overnight or put them in a pot, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour. Drain.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Season the oxtails with salt and pepper. Dust with the flour. Heat the oil in a large braising pan or ovenproof casserole over medium-high heat. Sear the oxtails in batches, cooking no more than will fit in a single layer in the pan at a time, until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set them aside.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the carrots, onions, celery, and peppers to the pan and sauté until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until it becomes aromatic, a couple of minutes. Add the red wine and vinegar and cook until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Return the oxtails to the pan and add the remaining ingredients, except the parsley; add the drained beans. Cover the oxtails tightly with a piece of aluminum foil, pressing it down into the pan, then cover with a lid. Put the pan in the oven to braise.
- After 45 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and give everything a quick stir, so the beans will cook evenly. Check to make sure the liquid hasn’t dropped below halfway up the bones; if necessary, add more liquid. Replace the foil and lid and return the pan to the oven. Braise the oxtails for approximately 3½ more hours, stirring and checking the level of the liquid every 30 minutes. The dish is done when the meat is beginning to fall off the bone and the beans are tender. Taste and adjust the seasonings. (If giving the dish a day or two of rest before serving, remove the oxtails from the heat and allow them to cool, then transfer the entire dish to a fresh container for refrigerating. The next day, after skimming off the fat, reheat on top of the stove; if you prefer the dish without bones, remove them as described below before reheating. Proceed as directed.)
- Skim the fat off the surface of the braising liquid. If you prefer to serve the dish without bones (I leave the bones on board), remove the oxtails from the pan, trim off the meat, and return it to the pan. Stir everything together, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve from the pan at the table.