I am not what you'd call a timid eater. I am willing to try anything at least twice and I always make myself revisit foods I've written off to see if my tastes have changed. I figure if people get by eating fish heads or brussel sprouts I can try them again, at least just once.
So yesterday at the store I picked up oxtails.
Oxtails are not commonly used in the US, but they are found in dishes in other parts of the world, so I want to take a crack at them.
I haven't figured out what I'm going to do with them yet. I've considered trying a Spanish dish or a Chinese dish (in honor of the year of the Ox!) or maybe a Moghul dish, like a remix of rogan josh. Oxtails have the bone in the center and a lot of connective tissue in them which makes them ideal for stews, braises, and long, slow cooking recipes which will convert the collagen into gelatin.
Just thinking about the possibilities of what I can do with the oxtails is making me hungry.
For me, it is not just the final dish that makes cooking fun but also the wide-open possibilities before you start. Food is very much like Lego. You can do so many different things with the same basic building blocks that it's hard for me to not want to try them all. Cooking is both art and engineering, creation and chemistry, birthing and building.
(Photo courtesy of Flickr user stirwise. All rights reserved.)
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