You Asked or It: Irie Zulu’s Winter South African Oxtail Stew

Wayne and Terri B., Milwaukee, requested the recipe for an oxtail dish served at Irie Zulu, 7237 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa.

They wrote: “We love all the food at Irie Zulu, but our favorite dishes are the oxtail stews. We have had their Jamaican oxtail stew as well as the Irie Zulu-style oxtail stew. Would the chef share either of these recipes?

Yollande Tchouapi Deacon, owner, sent a variation of one of the dishes. She wrote: “I will share with you the South African oxtail stew that was on my menu last year and has evolved into the Irie Zulu Oxtail stew. The two other recipes are still on my menu as new items and therefore cannot be shared.”

Irie Zulu’s Winter South African Oxtail Stew

Recipe tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski

Makes about 9 servings

• 2 pounds of fresh oxtails (get your butcher to slice them into pieces in between the bones)
• ½ cup flour
• 4 tablespoons Afro Fusion Cuisine Mama Cita All-Purpose Seasoning (see note)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 large carrots (2 chopped coarsely and 4 diced finely)
• 2 large onions, chopped coarsely
• 6 green onions, chopped coarsely
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons crushed garlic
• ½ of a 9-ounce jar of Afro Fusion Cuisine Reggae Girl Marinade (use 4.5 ounces; see note)
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• Salt to taste
• 8 ½ cups beef stock
• 1 cup red wine
• Water as needed
• 6 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced

Clean and wipe oxtails dry with a paper towel.

Mix flour and Afro Fusion seasoning in a large resealable plastic bag. Add oxtails and shake to coat with the seasoned flour.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat butter and olive oil. When hot, add oxtails and brown on all sides. When browned, remove and drain on paper toweling and keep warm.

Add the 4 finely diced carrots to the pot together with the chopped onions and green onion, and sauté until softened.

Return oxtail to pot and add thyme, peppercorns, garlic, marinade, tomato sauce, salt, stock and wine.

Bring slowly to a boil. Reduce heat, cover tightly with a lid and simmer 4 hours.

Check oxtails every 30 minutes to stir if needed and add water to keep meat covered.

One hour before serving, add remaining carrots and the potatoes and continue cooking slowly, without stirring.

If you want a thicker sauce, you can let the liquid in this dish reduce more or stir in some cornstarch mixed with cold water 

Serve over hot cooked rice or polenta.

Notes: Afro Fusion Cuisine spices and marinades are available at Outpost Natural Foods Stores and Whole Foods Markets. 

Make sure you add salt to taste, as Afro Fusion Cuisine spice does not include salt.

To request a recipe, write “You Asked for It,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Box 371, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0371 or email jdemski@journalsentinel.com. Requests must include complete restaurant name, address and phone number (only businesses still in operation will be considered), as well as your name, address and phone number. (Names and addresses will be withheld upon request.) Column compiled by Joanne Kempinger Demski.