Oxtail and Pig's Feet Stew

Not quite nose to tail eating but tail to feet. It's a new category. Up and coming. I remember distinctively being around 6 or 7 years old when I had my first oxtail and lotus root soup. I was in culinary heaven. I couldn't wrap my mind around how a tail and some funny looking root could taste so divine together. From that moment on, I refuse to cook oxtail without lotus root. Something about separating the two just feels so wrong to me - it's like I have to keep true to the dish kinda' like my motto in life, "keepin' it real".

On a separate note, I needed to vent about the woes of a pedestrian. Not only do I have to wait for the man to tell me when it's okay to walk, I have to avoid cars who run lights, and now... I have to avoid bicycles. I don't get it - they don't stop at red lights, they go right over cross walks, but they also ride alongside cars. I am totally confused and even when the man* tells me it's okay to walk - it's still NOT okay. Bicyclist, please make up your minds and pick a side. Thanks. I appreciate it.

*walk sign

Just looking at it in its raw state makes me happy. The last time I made oxtail was months ago and in SF. Berkeley Bowl was an awesome market to shop at - now come on Boston, when are we going to get something like that?



This makes me giggle. I know, it's pig's feet but pork feet is sufficient. It does look like feet, don't it?

Clean your pig's feet well - super well - really well. Massage the thing.

Looking pretty clean to me except for that one smudge right there...



Yes, clean your tails, too.

Once done, add your tails and feet to a large pot of water and let it come to a boil. No worries, you will dump this first round and prepare for the real round. The rationale is that the second round provides a much clearer broth and cleaner (maybe).

I got a little fancy and added some extra roots like carrots and radishes. Don't worry about the lotus root - we're gonna' have to do some skinning and trimming. Yeah, it's a bit high maintenance, not gonna' lie.



It's a funny looking root. I meant it. Skin it and trim off any funny looking parts as well. You know what I mean.

Slice it into 1/2" thick pieces. No worries - it takes a long time to cook - about as long as it would take to cook the oxtail to premium tenderness.

I am against skinning carrots but that's up to you. Do skin the radish. And cut them all into 1/2" thich pieces. Line them up just like this also.

Now, check back on your broth. Once it starts to look like this and softly boiling. It's good to dump it out and give it a good rinse. You might need to run the cold water a few times - you just want to get all that gunk out.

Rinse well. Really well. An A+ rinse - maybe that's easier to understand



Here's an example of clean. You feel me?

Fill it 3/4 of the way and cook it on low-med heat.

I rinse exactly 10 dried shiitake mushrooms and gave them a nice squeeze. I don't like to soak them before using them in this dish because the dried shiitake gives the soup a very nice flavor. Now, I understand the idea of mushroom based soup broth.

Throw both the mushrooms and lotus root into the pot. You should cook the radishes and carrots at the very end - like an hour before serving. They don't take too long to cook unlike the rest of the ingredients. I also added 2 Ts of sugar and 1/2 T of kosher salt. Take it easy on the seasoning, the meats and mushrooms will provide a very nice soup flavor. Remember, good food is simple food.

Optional. If you have an onion use that but if you have scallion whites, you can use that too. Throw them in the pot and remove them from the pot once they all seem quite cooked and falling apart.

Starting to heat up. Oh yeah.

After a couple of hours, I decided to remove the scallion whites. As you can see, it is falling apart.

This is the soup after 3 hours of cooking. Now everything fits.



Add your carrots and radishes. The soup should be perfect at the 4 hour mark. It's been a good run. ENJOY.

Do serve it over the carb of your choice or not.