In many ways autumn is my favourite eating time of the year. I simply love stews and anything that requires long, slow cooking and there's no better time than autumn to cook and eat them!
Oxtail is a traditional British dish, once only used by the poor, but increasingly used today by those that really appreciate their wonderful rich flavours!
As with many stews and braised dishes, the real secret to getting the richest possible flavours out of this dish is to cook it a day or two before serving. Whats-more this will allow you to remove excess fat from the top of the dish.
This dish can be the ideal supper dish, but also has the depth of flavour to make it an outstanding success at any dinner party!
Ingredients:
2.5 kg oxtail pieces
1 pigs trotter (optional)
25 g plain flour
a good pinch of mustard powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil
4 carrots - 2 chopped, 2 in batons
4 celery stalks - 2 chopped - 2 in batons
4 shallots, chopped
4 garlic cloves
750 ml robust red wine
500 ml good quality beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 bay leaves
parsley stems chopped
2 small turnips, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled, cored and quartered
Take your oxtail pieces and dredge in well-seasoned (mustard powder,sea salt and black pepper) plain flour. Shake off any excess. In a large flameproof casserole , heat the oil over a medium heat and brown the oxtail in batches. As they brown, transfer to a plate.
Remove any excess fat from the casserole dish and fry the shallots,garlic, chopped carrot and celery until softened, but not coloured. Pour in the red wine, ensuring that the bottom of the pan is de-glazed by scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the tomato puree and add the beef stock with the bay leaves and parsley.
Now return the oxtails to the pot and add the pigs trotter for further richness and taste. This is optional of course, but for me it really adds depth to the finished meal. Heat the oven to 150 C.
Place a well-fitting piece of greaseproof paper on top of the dish and then place the lid firmly.
Braise in the oven for at least 3 hours, preferably 4 particularly if the oxtail pieces are large.
After cooking, remove from the oven and remove the paper to reveal a glorious rich dark stew that smells fantastic!. Remove the pigs trotter and discard. Now remove the oxtail pieces and transfer to a bowl. Strain the liquid into a large jug and leave to cool. When cool, cover both dishes and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 2 days.
On the day of eating, remove from the fridge and simply remove any excess fat from the top of the jellied liquid. Pre-heat the oven to 170 C.
Warm the liquid through and place into a casserole dish along with the cooked oxtail pieces and set aside.
In a pan of boiling slated water blanch the prepared turnips, parsnips and remaining carrots and celery for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Scatter the vegetables into the casserole dish and transfer the dish to the oven.
Cook for a further 45 minutes, uncovered. Remove and serve immediately, to widespread appreciation and pleasure!
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