Slow, red wine-braised oxtail

Apologies that I missed my regular Monday morning post – I was out of the office shooting our brand new TV series ‘In my Kitchen’. My guest yesterday was the gregarious Andrew Atkinson who showed me exactly how oxtail is meant to be made…and it was just too delicious for words! Here’s the recipe – it’s almost too good to share!

Slow, red wine-braised oxtail

Serve with butternut mash and mixed seasonal vegetables.

Serves: 4

Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

1,2kg oxtail, cut up               

100ml tomato paste

5ml paprika spice

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

1 bunch celery, peeled and sliced

1 bunch leeks, peeled and sliced

500ml red wine

2 stalks each fresh rosemary and thyme

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 litre beef stock

Method:

1. Over a medium to high heat, seal your cut oxtail pieces in some vegetable oil.

2. Once browned, add the tomato paste, paprika, onion, carrots, celery and leeks.

3. Deglaze pot with red wine. Add rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Cover with stock, place lid on top, and simmer over a medium-low heat (on the stove top or in the oven) for 3 to 4 hours until oxtail is starting to fall off the bone - you might need to top up the stock during this process.

Tip: to deglaze the pot, pour your red wine into the pot, mix it with all the delicious juices, and scrape the sauce out.