Oxtail is a cheap and very tasty cut of meat, which yields the best results when slow-cooked. Here, we’ve cooked them low and slow in Rioja for 2-3 hours until the meat falls off the bone. It’s fantastic.
Tip: Braised meat tastes even better eaten the next day, once the flavours have steeped overnight.
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Ingredients
- 2kg oxtail pieces
- 4 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 red onions, finely sliced
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 375ml (half a bottle) good red Rioja
- 300ml beef stock, hot
- Good grating of fresh nutmeg
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp butter, softened
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Method
- Dust the oxtail in the flour until lightly coated. Heat half the oil in a heavy-based casserole with a tight- fitting lid. Fry the oxtail, in batches, over a medium heat, for 2-3 minutes each side until browned. Drain off and discard the excess fat. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in the casserole and gently fry the onion, celery and carrot for 10 minutes until lightly golden.
- Stir in the tomato purée, then return the oxtail to the casserole. Pour in the Rioja and stock. Add the nutmeg, season with salt and black pepper, then bring to the boil.
- Cover with the lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2½-3 hours until the oxtail is very tender. Take the oxtail out of the pot, set aside and keep warm. Remove the solids from the pot with a slotted spoon, then bring the sauce to a vigorous boil and bubble until reduced by half. Mix the flour and butter in a bowl to make a beurre manié (paste). Gradually whisk a little at a time into the sauce. Bubble for 3-5 minutes until thickened.
- Return the oxtail and solids to the pot to warm through. Serve with baked potatoes or creamy mashed potato and seasonal vegetables.
Nutrition
- 762kcals Calories
- 43.4g (16.4g saturated) Fat
- 68.7g Protein
- 14.6g (4g sugar) Carbs
- 1.2g Salt
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