This is a sponsored conversation in collaboration with Rumba Meats. All opinions are mine. 
My Mom used to make beef stew for us every winter. As a youngster, I didn’t care for it much, too many veggies. As I got a little older; I developed a taste for it & actually looked forward to eating it. She’d put in lots of potatoes & carrots, bay leaves & big chunks of meat. That beef stew would fill me up & warm my belly on a chilly winter’s night. I didn’t know it back then, but making that stew was my Mom’s way of showing us how much she loved & cared for us.
Like my Mother, I like to prepare hearty meals for my familia tambien. I made Oxtail (Beef) Stew, (called “Guisado del Rabo de Buey” in Spanish) for my family tonight & I thought it’d be the perfect dish to share with y’all. First, you’ll need to purchase some quality Oxtails. Rumba Meats is the brand I turn to.
A quick trip to my neighborhood Lucky’s Supermarket is all I have to do to find the cuts of meat I need. Not only is Lucky’s carrying Rumba Meats, you can find it at FoodMaxx & Save Marts too. This is great news for those of us who like to make Menudo, Lengua, Tripas, & all the other delicious Mexican dishes we grew up eating.
Use this store locator link to find out which Northern CA store near you carries Rumba Meats: http://www.rumbameats.com/store-locator
Now for the good stuff- let’s get to cooking! Dice your veggies & have them ready. You’ll need 3-4 lbs of Rumba Meats Oxtails. Rinse them off & trim any visible fat. Here’s the recipe:
- 3-4 lbs Rumba Meats Oxtail
- 4 carrots sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 leek, diced
- 3 large tomatoes, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup of beef stock
- 1 cup of red wine (I used a $3 bottle of red wine-no need to splurge)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Flour - to coat meat
- Olive oil
- Season Rumba Meats Oxtails with salt & pepper
- In large, heavy pan heat splash of olive oil to a medium high heat (not yet smoking)
- Lightly coat the Rumba Meats Oxtails with flour (shake off excess) & sear each piece in the hot oil until nicely browned, about 1 minute per side
- Remove the Rumba Meats Oxtail from the pan, & set aside
- Saute the onion, red pepper, leeks, tomatoes & minced garlic in the pan for about 10 minutes (you may need to add a bit more oil)
- Add the carrots, bay leaves, ground ginger, & cloves and saute 2 minutes
- Add the Rumba Meats Oxtail back into the pan then add wine and beef stock
- Bring to a boil- cover and reduce heat to a slow simmer
- Cook for 3 hours
- Meat should be soft & tender at the end of three hours- Enjoy your meal!
- You can eat this as is, or over rice. Be sure to have a few corn tortillas on the side too!
