Oxtail Pelau

SAVORY

Apr 24

Fried Plantain, Fried Sweet Potato Leaves, Scallions

Chef Demetrius Brown of Heritage Supper Club | Atlanta
Yield: 8 to10 servings

INGREDIENTS

Oxtail:
2 pounds oxtail
Ground black pepper
Salt
2 sweet onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
4 allspice berries
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 cup red wine

Pelau:
Neutral oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
One 1-inch knob ginger
Salt
Ground black pepper
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight
½ cup dried pigeon peas, soaked overnight
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed

To Assemble and Serve:
Oil for frying
1 green plantain, halved crosswise and thinly sliced
Salt
1 pound sweet plantain leaves
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced on a bias

METHOD

For the Oxtail:
Generously season oxtail with salt and pepper. In a large sautépan pan over high heat, sear oxtail until browned on all sides. Remove oxtail from pot and let cool. Add vegetables and garlic to the pot with the oxtail juices. Cook until vegetables are lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper. Add allspice, bay leaves, and thyme. Sauté 5 minutes. Deglaze pan with wine. Continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half. Return oxtail to the pot and cover with enough water to submerge. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer 5 hours, or until oxtail is tender. Strain, discarding vegetables, and reserving liquid and oxtail separately. Let cool and remove oxtail meat from bones. Set aside.

For the Pelau:
In a large stock pot over medium-high flame, heat oil. Add vegetables, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, ginger, salt, and black pepper. Sauté until vegetables are translucent. Add vinegar and cook until liquid is reduced by eighty-percent. Add beans and enough reserved oxtail cooking liquid to submerge beans by approximately 2-inches. Cook until beans are tender. Lower heat and add rice. Simmer until rice is cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add Oxtail and keep warm.

To Assemble and Serve:
In a deep fryer, heat oil to 350°F. Once hot, fry sweet potato leaves until crispy. Set aside. Reduce oil heat to 300°F. Fry plantains until translucent and crispy. Season with salt and let cool. Spoon Pelau into a large serving bowl. Top with a few spoonfuls of the Pelau liquid and additional Oxtail as desired. Top with fried sweet potato leaves, fried plantains, and scallions.

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