Braised Ox Tail with Chorizo

I originally had in mind to do an oxtail soup when I picked up a pack from Prather Ranch a week ago, then time got away from me and we went to dinner the other night at Pizza Antica and had their clams with chorizo and I got the taste for chorizo instead.  A couple of clicks away on Epicurious and I ran into this recipe for Spanish-Style Oxtails Braised with Chorizo.  I didn't change anything in the recipe other than using closer to 1/2 lb. of chorizo so just click on the link and go for it.  It's difficult to find good quality chorizo that does not have sugar or dairy products but I found a fully cured one at The Spanish Table at Strawberry Shopping Center and it was perfect.  I also picked up my paprika there, a "dulce" one, not smoked, and it really helped keep the heat down so the kids could really enjoy the dish.

I served this with "Smashed Celeraic" from Jamie Oliver's Happy Days with the Naked Chef.  Something very cool about celery root I learned from Sally Fallon, in Nourishing Traditions.  It, like coconut, bone broths, and lacto-fermented beverages (like Kombucha), has Chloride in it.  This is interesting in this particular meal as among other things, Chloride is "needed for the production of hydrochloric acid and hence PROTEIN DIGESTION" (the caps are mine).  She goes on to say that the most important source of chloride is salt, but I thought it was cool that we had such a meaty meal and the tools to help our bodies digest it well!

Smashed Celeraic

1 large celery root
organic olive oil
2 -3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme
1/4 cup stock or water

Peel the celery root and dice into uniform size cubes about 1/2 inch.  Heat about 3 TBSP. olive oil until hot but not smoking.  Add the celery root and brown about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme and saute another 5 min.  Add stock, cover, and simmer for another 20 minutes until easily pierced with a fork.  Smash it up in the pan leaving it a bit chunky.  Season with salt and pepper.