Yummm! Bajan Oxtail & Coo-Coo

Cornmeal Coo-Coo

4 pints of water
12 fresh okra pods
4 tablespoons of butter
1 pound of yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon of salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 Rinse the okra in cold water, cut off the stems
and slice in round shapes. Combine the okra and
the water in a large saucepan and bring it to a
full boil, stir in the butter with the salt and
pepper.

2 Remove okra from the heat, stir in cornmeal
until all the lumps is dissolved and the mixture
is nice and smooth.


3 Return back to the heat, using a wooden spoon
stir till mixture is well blended, slightly stiff
and comes away from the sides of the pan.
Use a spoon to fill in the lightly buttered bowl,
let it sit for at least 30 minutes until it sets.

4 Cover the top of the bowl with a platter, invert
to transfer Coo Coo to the serving platter.

Stewed Oxtail

Ingredients
MARINADE
2 lbs oxtails, jointed
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Trinidadian green seasoning
1 1/2 onions, very thinly sliced
1 green pepper, very thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soya sauce

STEW
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons browning sauce (optional)
2-3 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
4 stalks fresh marjoram
8 stalks fresh thyme
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced

Directions

1 Marinade: put the clean oxtail in a large bowl and add all the ingredients to the meat so it is completely coated. Cover bowl, refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2 Stew: Heat vegetable oil and brown sugar on medium in a large pot until the mixture turns a light brown. Add the oxtail and brown them for a few minutes per side. Add browning sauce and stir.

3 Add water so that meat is almost covered. Turn heat up and add bay leaves, scotch bonnet pepper (make sure this doesn't break!), cloves and herbs. Cover pot and bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 3 hours, or until meat is extremely tender. Stir every 30 minutes and add hot water whenever necessary: meat should always be mostly covered.

4 Remove scotch bonnet pepper carefully after about 1 1/2 hours of cooking. After 3 hours, or when the meat is done, add beef bouillon, ketchup, potatoes and carrots. Cook for another 30 minutes.

5 Taste and see if you need to add anymore spices or salt. It should be perfect at this point. If the sauce needs thickening just add a teaspoon of cornstarch or flour. Serve with rice and peas coo-coo and a side of coleslaw. Enjoy!