Recipe: Malta Braised Oxtail with Calabaza Mash

We're making a tasty and tender dish worth the time: Malta-Braised Oxtails, which we're serving with a very seasonal Calabaza squash mash. This recipe comes from Chef Felicia Lacalle, Executive Chef over the restaurants on St Pete's pier, including the tremendous Teak.

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Malta Braised Oxtail

Ingredients

4 lbs oxtails
salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup olive oil
3 medium onions, diced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
6 guajillo peppers
2 chile de arbol
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
2 star anise
3 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 sprigs thyme
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp coriander seeds (or ground coriander)
1 tsp paprika
4 cups malta
2 cups beef broth
¼ cup tomato paste
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
calabaza mash (see recipe below)
broccolini (see recipe below)
orange chimichurri (see recipe below)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Pat oxtails dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
In heavy cast-iron Dutch oven or brazier over medium-high heat, add olive oil and brown oxtails on all sides. Once seared, remove and set aside.
In same pot, toast dried chile de arbol and guajillo peppers briefly.
Add cinnamon, cloves, star anise, bay leaves, black peppercorns, thyme, coriander, and paprika to pot. Toast for 1 minute.
Include onions and garlic, allowing them to sweat and become fragrant.
Stir in tomato paste and brown sugar, then deglaze with malta and add beef broth. Season with additional salt and pepper.
Return oxtails to pot, bring mixture to boil, cover with lid or foil, and transfer to oven. Bake 3 hours.
Once done, remove oxtails and set aside. Blend cooking liquid and strain it.
To make gravy, melt butter in saucepot, then whisk in flour to form roux. Gradually add strained liquid, stirring until thickened.
Serve braised oxtails with broccolini over calabaza mash. Drizzle with gravy and garnish with orange chimichurri.

Broccolini with Garlic Butter

Ingredients

6 pieces broccolini
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 tbsp butter
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
ice water for blanching

Directions

Prepare bowl with ice and water large enough to hold broccolini. This will be used to shock broccolini after blanching.
In small pot, bring salted water to boil. Blanch broccolini for 1 minute.
Immediately remove broccolini from boiling water and submerge in ice water to halt cooking process.
Once broccolini has cooled, take out of ice water and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
In sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt butter.
Add broccolini and garlic to pan and sauté until broccolini is heated through.
Season broccolini with salt and black pepper to your preference.

Brown Butter Bacon Calabaza Mash

Ingredients

1 ½ lb Spanish calabaza, peeled, seeded and diced
3 tbsp butter
1 cup finely diced bacon
1 ¼ tsp salt, plus additional to taste
1 tsp black pepper
juice of 1 lime

Directions

Place butter in small saucepot and melt over medium-low heat. Continue to cook until butter turns nutty brown color, then remove from heat and set aside.
Heat another pot over medium heat and cook diced bacon until crispy. Once done, remove bacon from pot and set aside on paper towels to drain.
Fill medium pot with water, add 1 ¼ tsp of salt, and bring to boil over high heat. Add diced calabaza to boiling water and cook until tender, which should take about 25 minutes.
Thoroughly drain cooked calabaza and then mash in large bowl until smooth.
Stir cooked crispy bacon and brown butter into mashed calabaza.
Squeeze fresh lime juice over mixture and season with additional salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well to incorporate all flavors.