I had never had an oxtail before my wedding night. I was aware that people ate them, growing up as I did in a city with a variety of ethnic markets and people who appreciated such things, but it never occurred to me to try them myself until years later. At a meal at the end of a magical, 65 degree January day in New York City, seated at a farmhouse table at the back of Marlow and Sons, my new husband and I surrounded by a small, merry group of our dearest friends, meriko plucked one up with her fingers, teasing us for trying to be “dainty” with our knives and forks. These oxtails are inspired by that memory, clad in a rich, lusty sauce, just begging to be eaten with your fingers after a day filled with Hedonism, laughter, and love.

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