Jim Skamarakas

Lunch today was at the West Indies Soul Food restaurant in the Midtown Exchange, Minneapolis, MN. I walked past Safari Express but Jammal was not working today, so over to see Sharon and what specials she had on today’s menu.

I got a to go order of the oxtail stew, rice and peas and greens in a box, along with two bottles of water. Tasty meat, still with the bones in the portion. The meat itself had almost fallen off it was so tender. The taste was a little sweet but overall a very good lunch.

And for those wondering about oxtail stew, these interesting wiki entry -

Coda alla vaccinara

Coda alla vaccinara is a speciality of Roman cuisine. It is a stew made with “oxtail” (in fact, usually tail of a calf) and various vegetables. Its introduction dates back to times when it was customary to pay a vaccinara (cattle butcher) in kind with the entrails, hide, and tail of the animal. Butchers developed a way of turning their fee into a delicacy, thus coda alla vaccinara was formed. Today, almost every Roman household has its unique recipe to cook coda.

Tail of the veal is parboiled and then simmered with large amounts of celery, carrots, and aromatic herbs. Following this, tomatoes and wine are added, then the mixture is cooked further with a soffritto of onions, garlic, prosciutto, pancetta and some other ingredients. During the final phase of cooking, a bouquet garni of bay leaves, celery stalks, and cloves are put in the pot for flavouring. Tail should be cooked such a long time that meat should be easily separated from the vertebrae. The meal is seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper and garnished with pine nuts.

An important point is to obtain a sweet-and-sour taste. The most common way is to add raisins although many people may prefer to use candied fruits or sweetbitter chocolate. Coda should be cooked one or two days before it is served and be reheated. The leftover meal is never wasted since it may also be well employed as a delicious fettucine sauce.

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