Bones_ Recipes, History, and Lore - Jennifer McLagan [23]
The bones in the famed Paris catacombs come from old graveyards that were built on as the city expanded. There is something both disconcerting and somehow oddly calming about the piles and piles of bones and skulls. The catacombs were not at all frightening, as I had expected.
In the Czech Republic, some 44 miles (70 kilometers) from Prague, is a town called Kutna Hora, another “bizarre bones” site. Architecturally rich, it appears on the UNESCO world cultural heritage list. The town boasts many beautiful churches, but a small chapel on the outskirts of town is the most fascinating. It stands on a graveyard originally attached to a Cistercian monastery. According to legend, sometime in the late thirteenth century the abbot of the monastery sprinkled the graveyard with soil from the Holy Land. This act turned it into a revered place that became famous throughout Central Europe. The graveyard was considered the best place to be buried, and tens of thousands of people were buried there. Its popularity meant that over time, bones had to be moved to make room for “new customers”; these bones were stored in what was called an ossuary, a common practice.
In the nineteenth century, woodcarver Frantisek Rint was hired to decorate the chapel’s interior. But rather than using wood as his medium, he turned to the bones stored in the ossuary. It is estimated that the bones of more than forty thousand people now decorate the chapel. Some of the more impressive elements include large bells suspended in each corner of the chapel, a huge chandelier, a chalice, and two monstrances. When Rint signed his work, it was, of course, with bones. Today, the All Saints Chapel is a popular tourist stop.
Chinese-Style Oxtail
SERVES 4
Oxtail is popular in Chinese cuisine, where sticky gelatinous textures are very much appreciated. I have two friends of Chinese origin who happily ate my braised oxtail (page 47) once a week, the night their cook was off, for over a month. Even though they love oxtail, I thought they must be tired of eating the same dish, so I developed a Chinese-inspired version. The morning after I delivered the first recipe trial, they called for the recipe. Coated in a rich anise-and-soy-flavored sauce, even the small pieces with little meat are irresistible. As with all oxtail dishes, make this at least a day in advance so you can chill it and remove the layer of fat.
5 pounds (2.25 kg) oxtail, cut into pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup (125 ml) Chinese wine (Shao Xing) or dry sherry
½ cup (125 ml) dark soy sauce
1½ tablespoons brown sugar
1 star anise, broken apart
3 green onions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces
4 slices fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 orange
1.Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Trim any excess fat off the oxtail, then pat dry. Season lightly with salt, and generously with freshly ground black pepper. In a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Brown the oxtail in batches, adding more oil if necessary. As they brown, transfer the oxtail pieces to a plate.
2.Discard any fat from the pot, then pour in the wine and bring to a boil, deglazing the pot by scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Mix the soy sauce and sugar with 2 cups (500 ml) water and pour into the pot. Add the star anise, green onions, ginger, and garlic and bring to a boil, then remove from the
3.Using a vegetable peeler, remove 4 large strips of zest from the orange; reserve the orange. Add the zest and oxtail to the pot, cover with a damp piece of parchment paper and then the lid, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1½ hours.
4.Turn the pieces of oxtail, cover again with parchment and the lid, and cook for another 1½ hours, or until the oxtail is very tender. Transfer the oxtail to a dish and strain the sauce through a sieve into a glass measuring cup or a bowl; discard the debris in the sieve. Cool, then cover the sauce and oxtail and refrigerate overnight.
5. The next day, preheat the oven