BRAISED OXTAIL
“Oxtail is one of the tastiest and most tender cuts if prepared with love in your heart and wine in your hand. It needs a long cooking time due to all the connective tissue, but is butter soft if you give it the chance to cook slow and let all those flavours melt in.
- 1 to 2kg free-range oxtail,
- cut into pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 30 to 45ml vegetable oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 brown onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5ml chopped fresh thyme
- 15ml Worcestershire sauce
- 2.5ml smoked paprika
- 2 whole chillies (optional)
- 15ml tomato paste
- 5 to 6 whole allspice (pimento)
- 5ml medium curry powder or more, adjust to preference (optional)
- 1 litre beef stock
- 2 glasses full-bodied red wine
- 2 cans (400g each) butter beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 handful chopped fresh parsley or fresh thyme sprigs
1/ Season the oxtail with salt and freshly ground black pepper.2/ Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the oxtail and sauté, stirring frequently, until the oxtail is browned all over.3/ Add the red and brown onions, garlic, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and smoked paprika and stir for a minute. Throw in the chillies, tomato paste, allspice and curry powder and stir for another minute.4/ Add the stock and red wine and bring to the boil. Reduce the heatto low and let it simmer for 2 to 3
hours until tender, while enjoying a third glass of red wine and occasionally stirring the saucepan.5/ Add the beans 20 to 30 minutes before you remove the oxtail from the heat. If the sauce is too thick, add more stock.6/ Season with salt to taste and serve with a sprinkling of parsley over fragrant rice or with roasted sweet potatoes in their jackets and hot crunchy vegetables.7/ And a bit more of that lovely red wine...
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