Oxtail Stew with Lima Beans (SP)

• 3 pounds oxtails, cut into 2-inch segments
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 10 ounces carrots (about 2 large carrots), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 habanero pepper, finely chopped
• 3 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 8 ounces (3/4 cup) black bean paste [Um, Lee Jr and some other folks think this should be ubiquitous in supermarkets, but I had to use black bean sauce.  I do have fermented black beans, but I dunno if just whizzing them up in a food processor would make them a puree.  Those things are quite salty and 8 ounces is a lot of them.]
• 1 cup dry sherry
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup fresh or frozen lima beans    

Soak oxtail in cold water for 30 minutes.  Pat dry, toss with flour, and brown.

Mise en place.

Sautee onions, carrots (I actually didn't have any.  They had gone bad in the fridge.), green peppers, garlic, ginger, and habanero pepper (I actually just used a jalapeno).

Add oxtail, tomatoes, black bean paste, sherry, star anise, sugar, and pepper.  Then add stock and allspice.

Simmer uncovered for 3 hours.

Add lima beans and simmer for 20 minutes.

 

I was still totally braising the dish when my parents were over.  My mother tasted the sauce and said it was pretty spicy.  When I actually sat down to eat some of this (It was more like 5 hours of braising), I had to agree.

I don't know why since all I used was a damn jalapeno.  I could perhaps blame it on the black bean sauce since lord knows what was in that.  Overall, a good dish but overly hot.

BTW, Edward Lee Jr was my favorite cheftestant on Top Chef Texas and and overwhelming number of the recipes I found in his cookbook definitely seemed accessible and enticing.