One cannot let the winter pass without preparing oxtail a couple of times! This delicious stew can be cooked in a very slow oven, or in a slow cooker. Best made the day before.
2T (30ml) flour
2t (10ml) Garlic Pepper
1t (5ml) Meat Spice
2T (30ml) canola oil
1T (15ml) butter
1.25kg oxtail – trimmed of excess fat
2 onions, chopped
1 large carrot, scraped and sliced into rings
2 sticks of celery – finely sliced
½ cup (125ml) red wine
1 cup (250ml) beef stock
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
4T (60ml) Tomato Pesto
1T (15ml) orange marmalade (optional)
Green Onion Seasoning to taste
GREMOLADA
Grated rind of half an orange
Grated rind of one lemon
¼ cup (60ml) finely chopped parsley
3 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
Adjust the oven rack to one slot below the middle shelf. Preheat the oven to 100°C or preheat your slow cooker on auto.
Measure the flour and two seasonings into a plastic bag, add meat and shake to coat.
Heat a heavy frying pan and add oil and butter. When the butter becomes brown and bubbly, add half the meat and brown it on all sides. Remove browned meat from the pan, and add to the raw meat. It is not necessary to brown all the meat. Add the onions to the pan and brown. Add the carrot and celery and stir fry together with the onions for 2 minutes. Add the red wine – boil fast for one minute to reduce it a little. Add the stock, chopped tomatoes, Tomato Pesto, marmalade, the oxtail (browned and raw meat) and any left over seasoned flour.
Transfer the stew to a heavy cast iron pot with a lid for oven cooking, or to a slow cooker. Cook for 5 – 6 hours until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone. At this stage it is best to leave the meat to cool down completely (overnight is best). Skim off as much fat as possible the next day.
TO SERVE
Reheat the meat. Taste for seasoning. Mix all the gremolada ingredients together and sprinkle over the oxtail just before serving. Delicious with Creamy Polenta and Red Cabbage with Apple.
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