Caraway & Tarragon Oxtail with Parsnips, Fennel, and Carrots

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs oxtail
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- Salt
- 1 onion, quartered
- 6 cloves of garlic
- Stock or water to braise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced thin
- 3-4 carrots, sliced thin
- 2 parsnips, sliced thin
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
- 1/2 leek, sliced thin
- Salt
- Marash Turkish Chile
- Tarragon

INSTRUCTIONS
1 - Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Season the oxtail with salt, pepper, and crushed fennel and caraway seeds. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
2 - In a dutch oven, brown the oxtail on all sides in olive oil. Add the water or stock until the liquid covers the meat halfway. Add the onion and garlic and bring the liquid up to temperature but not boiling. Put in the oven and cook for about 4 hours checking every hour to make sure the liquid doesn’t cook off. Add more water or stock when it gets low.
3 - In the remaining 30 minutes (it should cook for about 4.5 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone), add the leeks, celery, carrots, fennel, parsnips, and salt. Stir and cook until the meat is tender and vegetables are cooked yet, not mushy.
4 - Taste for seasoning and finish the dish with chopped tarragon leaves and marash Turkish chile.