Cuban Style Oxtail

Creole cooking is very famous worldwide. What’s not to like about it? It’s mostly just improvised French Food by different African Cultures. Most islands in the Caribbean have been influenced by Africa: Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico have all been lucky enough to had had this culture bestowed upon them. As a result, the cuisines of these countries are very seasoned and quite tasty at that.... French Food is famous in of itself, but African Peoples living on these islands found it a bit on the bland side. So, they decided to spice it up a bit in order to make it taste better, and that they did.... Additionally, because some of these islands were French Colonies at one point of another, African Slaves made it a point to improve on the already below par food that the slaves owners were handing to them. All the history behind these countries were ultimately responsible for the creation of so called Creole Cooking....

Oxtail is just one of these islands’ delicacies. Cuba, Belize and Jamaica make oxtail differently from one another, some spicier than others.

Here’s Cuba’s version of this famous dish:

Packet of Oxtail which you can purchase at most supermarkets
Onions
Bell Peppers. (One red/other green)
Tomato sauce (you could replace tomato sauce with spaghetti sauce)
clove of Garlic
A bottle of red wine and a bottle of cooking wine
Add salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, laurel leaves
Cooking oil and Vinegar

This can be a meal for two or twenty people. Since people are much more informed nowadays than they were 50 years ago, condiments such as salt and pepper can be used sparingly, or you can use a lot of it, it all depends on you the chef. But remember, people today are finicky and well informed, so take it easy on the salt and oil!

Chop up all the vegetables and take out a big pot. Turn the burner on at low heat and pour oil in the pot (like I said both olive and regular oil) Add garlic first. Once you do that, wait for it to start sizzling a bit. Then add all the chopped up vegetables. Stir fry for a little while, and then add Salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, laurel leaves. At this time you can turn the heat up just a bit. Stir fry everything together. Then add the Wine, Vinegar, Tomato sauce, and water. After this is done. Place the Oxtails inside. Bring heat to a very low boil. Once the pot starts to boil, wait about 10 minutes. After that, cover the pot and bring the heat down to simmer so that it boils slowly. Once you've done all this (The real trick is to let it boil on very low heat for about 4 1/2 hours or so, or until the meat is fully tender), it's a waiting process. After 4 hours. Uncover the pot and bring the heat on high. Wait until all the water and wine have evaporated complete. Once this is done you can turn heat off. Wait for about 15 minutes or so, and then serve. This can be served with white rice or pasta. Remember that some people prefer their food with more salt (condiments) and others with less. Also 4 cups of water might be too much depending on the size of the pot.