Oxtail Tostadas Recipes

Steps:

• For the seafood: Place the octopus in a pressure cooker and cover with water by 4 inches. Add the salt, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 sprigs thyme and 1 clove garlic. Lock the lid according to the manufacturer's instructions and pressure cook for 40 minutes. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for releasing the pressure. Drain, let cool and slice 1-inch thick.
• Meanwhile, place the remaining 3 cups extra-virgin olive oil in 8-quart saucepot with the lemon peels, remaining 3 sprigs thyme and 1 garlic clove. Heat to 190 degrees F. Poach the shrimp in the oil until cooked through, about 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Poach the calamari in the oil until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to another bowl and allow the shrimp and calamari to cool in the fridge.
• For the pickled chiles: Bring the vinegar to a boil in a saucepot with the peppercorns and bay leaf. Turn off the heat and let cool. Pour over the chiles in a bowl and allow to pickle for 20 minutes.
• For the tostadas: Clip a deep-frying thermometer to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Heat the vegetable oil to 375 degrees F. Fry tostadas until golden, 1 to 2 minutes each. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels to cool.
• For plating: Add all the chilled seafood, chiles, cucumber, radish, lime juice and chopped cilantro in a large bowl and mix together. Place a large scoop of seafood on a tostada, then garnish with cilantro leaves and drizzle with the oil. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 7 more tostadas.

Steps:

• Wash the oxtails with warm water and place in a heavy stainless-steel pot. Add the onions, peppers, beef and chicken bases, garlic powder, salt, browning sauce, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Cover the oxtails by three-quarters with water. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, adding more water if necessary, until the oxtails are tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Steps:

• For the oxtail: Sprinkle the oxtail with salt and pepper on all sides. Sear the oxtail in the olive oil in a pressure cooker on the saute function until golden brown on all sides. Add the carrot, celery and onion and cook until starting to caramelize. Add the thyme, tarragon, rosemary, chicken stock, red wine and veal demi-glace. Close the pressure cooker according to the manufacturer's instructions and pressure cook for 50 minutes. Release the steam according to the manufacturer's instructions and remove the oxtail to a plate to cool, then remove the meat from the bones. Strain the liquid from the pressure cooker into a medium saucepan and reduce the sauce until slightly thickened. Add the butter and blend the sauce with an immersion blender until it looks glossy. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• For the aioli mayonnaise: Mix the mayonnaise, vinegar and garlic together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• For the caramelized onions: Warm a large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions followed by the sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until all of the onion is caramelized, 15 to 30 minutes.
• For the burger: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, tarragon and salt in a large bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup oxtail for garnishing the burgers, then add the rest of the oxtail to the bowl. Mix well, but don't overmix. Form six 1/4-pound burger patties. Sprinkle both sides of each patty generously with salt and pepper.
• Set a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the canola oil. When the oil shimmers, add the patties (you may need to do this in batches). Cook the patties all the way through, about 4 minutes, then flip and cook another 2 minutes. Add the butter, thyme sprigs and garlic to the skillet and let the butter get foamy, about 30 seconds, then baste the patties, about 1 minute. Flip the patties and baste the other side, 1 minute more. Remove the skillet from the heat and top each patty with some cheese. Place the skillet in the oven to melt the cheese, around 2 minutes.
• In the meantime, season the arugula with lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Spread a bottom bun with aioli mayonnaise and top with a heaping spoonful of the caramelized onions, some chopped chives, a patty, some reserved oxtail and a spoonful of oxtail gravy. Finish with a handful of dressed arugula and add the top bun. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 5 more.

Steps:

• Place oxtail in a shallow dish. Combine Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, sugar, garlic and herb seasoning, browning sauce, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper together in a small bowl. Rub both sides of oxtail with marinade; pour out excess.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Sear oxtail in hot oil until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a small plate.
• Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in the same skillet until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beef broth, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Add oxtail, with its juices, and butter. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until oxtail is fork tender, about 3 hours.
• Uncover skillet and increase heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces and thickens, about 5 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Season the flour with salt and pepper, then toss the oxtail in it until evenly coated. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Working in batches, brown the meat really well on all sides. Remove from the pan, then add the veg and garlic and fry for 3-4 mins until starting to colour. Stir in the tomato purée and herbs. Tip the meat back into the pan, pour over the wine, then crumble in the stock cube. Season, cover the pan and braise in the oven for 3 hrs until the meat is meltingly tender. Can be cooked up to 2 days ahead. If you make it ahead, chill in the fridge and lift any fat off the top before reheating.
• To make the dumplings, tip the flour and basil (reserving a few leaves for a garnish) into a food processor with a generous pinch of salt, then blitz until the basil is finely chopped. Add the butter and blitz until it's the texture of breadcrumbs, then gradually add the egg whites until everything comes together. On a floured surface, roll the dumplings into small, walnut-size balls, then cover with a tea towel until ready to cook.
• To serve, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Simmer dumplings for 15 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon. While the dumplings are cooking, gently reheat the meat in the sauce. Serve a few chunks of meat in a soup bowl with a few dumplings, drizzled with olive oil and scattered with a few basil leaves.