Oxtails with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce and Cheddar Quinoa Fritters

Willie and Sandra's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round One Main Dish Basket including the following items: 

Oxtails
Blueberries
Mascarpone cheese
Quinoa

Willie and I decided we were definitely NOT going to participate in this challenge. Too much work travel for Willie, planning for an upcoming vacation, and other family responsibilities prevented it. It would be the first challenge I didn't participate in and I really felt badly about it, but no, it was definitely decided. Not Going To Participate.

The Friday night before the Chopped recipes and photos were due, Willie and I were just chilling out buy the fire. Just talking about the week and as usual, the subject of 37 Cooks arose. We both felt as though we were letting Linda Mire down and how could we do that? She is such an active participant in the group, always ready to volunteer when needed, always there to support me when I need her.

Willie said, “Why don’t you read me the list of the Chopped Round One ingredients.” And that was that. We Googled. We read cookbooks. We made grocery lists. We were hooked.

Later that night we learned we’d also be driving our daughter back and forth to college for a total of about 6 hours over the weekend. Did that deter our cooking? NO! Willie chose the Appetizer basket for his Chopped Challenge. I chose the Main Dish basket but he did quite a lot of the cooking and I helped him with the writing of his recipe so I’d say the contributions were pretty equal on this dish.

Linda, you made this challenge pretty dang hard! But we had a great time! Thank you!

Oxtails with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce and Cheddar Quinoa Fritters
by Willie and Sandra Simmons
adapted from Marcus Samuelsson, Robert McGrath, and Epicurious 

Make the jerk mix and marinate the oxtails at least 8 hours. Make the blueberry barbecue sauce. Make the quinoa. Cook the oxtail. Make the fritters. Serve. Below are all the recipes.

Jerk Mix
2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
2 jalapeno chilies, seeds and ribs removed, and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons light-brown sugar
1 Tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar

Saute the jalapenos and garlic in oil until lightly browned. Add the allspice, cinnamon, cayenne, and brown sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool.

Add the following to your blender: the cooked mixture (above), thyme, white pepper, salt, ginger, scallions, lime juice, and vinegar and blend until smooth.

You will have quite a bit of this left over. We’re going to try to freeze it and see how that works out. If you make this and freeze yours, let us know and we will as well.

Blueberry Barbecue Sauce
1 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/8 cup minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño chili, seeded
2 Tablespoons ketchup
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Over medium heat, cook the onion and jalapeno with a little oil in a nonstick skillet, until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes, place the contents of the skillet in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the oxtails and the fritters. This is so delicious and can be used with anything where you use barbecue sauce.

Barbecue Oxtails
½ cup Jerk Mix (see below)
2 Tablespoons canola oil
12 pieces oxtail, each 5 inches long
1/2 cup olive oil
2 medium Spanish onions, finely chopped
1 can (26 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 bay leaf
1 piece fresh ginger (3 inches), peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Scotch bonnet chilies, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium canned chicken stock
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup honey

Combine the jerk mix, oil, and oxtails in a bowl and stir. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch-oven over high heat. Working in batches, add the oxtail and onions and cook, flipping occasionally, until browned, 15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, ginger, and garlic; bring to simmer. Stir in chilies, salt, chili powder, cumin, coriander, chicken stock, coffee, and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, reduce the heat, and continue simmering for 2 hours.

Add the honey and continue simmering, uncovered, until the oxtail is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, and serve.

Cheddar Quinoa Fritters
1 cup (7 ounces) quinoa, cooked
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
3 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs

mascarpone cheese
sour cream
green onions, finely chopped

Stir the freshly cooked quinoa, cheese, scallions, salt, and pepper until the cheese is melted. Cool. Stir in the eggs, then the bread crumbs.

Melt a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a heated skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by the spoonful with plenty of room in between the fritters and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Mix equal parts of sour cream and mascarpone and add some chopped green onions or herbs. Serve each fritter with a little dollop of the mixture. It’s delicious.