This recipe is slightly modified from Jamie Oliver‘s fabulous oxtail stew. It is one of the best stews I’ve eaten or cooked. Oxtail is a gelatin-rich meat, which is usually slow-cooked as a stew or braised. While it used to be only the tail of an ox, nowadays it can also refer to the tails of other cattle.
PREP TIME 15 MIN COOK TIME 6 HRS
INGREDIENTS FOR 5-6
- 1,5kg oxtail, chopped into 4cm chunks
- extravirgin olive oil
- 1 leek
- 1-2 celery stalk
- 3-4 carrots
- 2 onions
- fresh thyme and rosemary
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 3-4 cloves
- 2 Tbls of plain flour
- a glass of good red wine
- 2 cans of plum tomatoes
- 0,5 liter of beef stock or water
- Preheat oven to 220C. Place a large oven tray in the oven to preheat.
- Carefully remove the hot tray and add the oxtail. Season and drizzle the oil over the meat, toss to coat and place in the hot oven for 20 min, or until golden and caramelised.
- Meanwhile trim and halve the leek and celery lengthwise, then chop into 2cm chunks. Peel and chop the carrots and onions and place the veggies into a large ovenproof casserole over a medium low heat with 1 Tbls of oil.
- Pick, roughly chop and add thyme, rosemary and bay leaves to the pot and cook for 20 min, stirring frequently.
- Meanwhile remove the oxtail from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 170C.
- Add the cloves and flour stirring well to combine, then pour the tomatoes and wine. Add the oxtail and any roasting juices, cover with beef stock or cold water and stir well.
- Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, put the lid on and place in the oven for around 5 hrs or until the meat falls off the bone, stirring every hour or so and adding some water if needed.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Using rubber gloves, strip the meat from the bones and return to the pan discarding the bones.
9. Enjoy with creamy mashed potatoes or pappardelle pasta.
BUON APPETITO!