While soul food can mean different things to different people, the heart of the cuisine is rooted in flavors and ingredients that came from West Africa to the Caribbean and farmlands of America.
Chef Alexander Smalls shared a dish with humble beginnings to help celebrate Juneteenth.
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Once scraps from a master's table, Oxtails have become a delicacy seen on menus at some top restaurants and Smalls said the influence of that dish can be tracked through the transatlantic slave trade.
Check out Smalls' full recipe below to create his classic dish in your kitchen.
Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
12 large oxtails
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 (750-milliliter) bottles dry red wine
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon celery flakes or seeds
2 bay leaves
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
4 medium turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
1 pound okra, trimmed and sliced
4 cups unsalted beef stock
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat.
Put the flour in a large bowl. Generously season the oxtails with salt and black pepper. Dredge the oxtails in the flour, shaking off any excess. Working in batches to avoid crowding the skillet, add the oxtails to the hot oil and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crusty on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a deep, heavy roasting pan or Dutch oven in a single layer.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring the wine to a boil. Boil until reduced by half, about 20 to 30 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the wine to the roasting pan, then add the garlic, onion, celery, bell pepper, thyme, sage, Old Bay, celery flakes, bay leaves, and diced tomatoes. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven.
Bake until the oxtails are tender but the meat is not yet falling off the bone, about 3 ½ hours. Remove the pan from the oven but keep the oven on.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the oxtails to a large bowl. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids. Return the liquid to the roasting pan and add the turnips, okra, and stock. Place the oxtails on top and return to the oven.
Roast until the turnips and okra are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
Arrange the oxtails on a large platter and serve.
Recipe reprinted with permission from "Meals, Music and Muses: Recipes From My African American Kitchen by Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers. Copyright © 2020 by Alexander Smalls. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Beatriz da Costa.