Nourishing oxtail stew
Serves:
8
Preparation Time:
20 mins
Cooking Time:
6 hours
Ingredients:
- 2.5 kg Farm88 beef tail (tail will already be jointed into 3-4cm chunks)
- olive oil
- 2 sticks of celery
- 2 medium leeks
- 4 medium carrots
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 4 fresh bay leaves
- 4 cloves
- 2 heaped tbsp plain flour
- 2 x 400g tins of whole tomatoes
- 1¼ cups red wine
- 1L beef stock
- Worcestershire sauce
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
- Place a large roasting tray in the oven to preheat.
- Add the oxtail to the pre-heated tray and season with salt & pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat and place back into the hot oven for around 20 minutes, or until golden and caramelised.
- In the meantime, trim and halve the leeks and celery lengthways, then chop into rough 2cm chunks. Peel and chop the carrots into 2cm pieces, then place into a large ovenproof casserole pan over a medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Strip the leaves and roughly chop the thyme and rosemary, then add to the vegetables along with the bay leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, for around 20 minutes, or until softened and fragrant.
- Remove the oxtail from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 170ºC.
- Add the cloves and flour to the vegetables, stirring well to combine.
- Pour in the tomatoes, wine and add the oxtail with any roasting juices. Cover with the beef stock and stir well.
- Turn the heat up to high and bring to the boil. Place the lid on and put in the hot oven for around 5 hours, or until the meat falls away from the bone. Stir every hour or so and add a dash of water to loosen, if required.
- Remove the pan from the oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Using rubber gloves, strip the meat from the bones and return to the pan, discarding the bones.
- Add a good dash of Worcestershire sauce, season to taste and enjoy with mashed potatoes and steamed greens. Enjoy!