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Sticky Oxtail Stew

If I had to choose, this stew reigns supreme. Oxtail needs a long slow braise with lots of vegetables and aromatics. At the end of the cooking time, I like to strain out the vegetables and reduce the sauce to a glossy sheen, before glazing the bones with it. By this point the meat will be almost falling off the bone. Serve with mash and more sauce.

SERVES 4

Preparation time 40 minutes

Cooking time 4 hours 20 minutes

olive oil, for frying

1 oxtail, cut into 6–8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this)

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 carrots, quartered

1 celery stick, roughly chopped, plus a handful of celery leaves

1 head of garlic, halved horizontally

1 tsp tomato purée

2 tsp plain flour

150g streaky smoked bacon, cut into lardons

500ml fresh beef stock

1 bottle red wine

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs of rosemary

few sprigs of thyme

4–5 sprigs of parsley

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 150˚C/130˚C fan/gas mark 2. Start by browning the meat. Put a frying pan over a high heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Season the oxtail pieces well and fry them for 3 or 4 minutes on all sides in two batches, making sure they are deeply caramelised all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary, add the onion, carrots and celery and fry for 5–8 minutes, scraping up any residual meaty bits left over from browning the oxtail with a wooden spoon – this is where the flavour is. For the final minute, turn up the heat and add the halved garlic. Fry until the cut sides of the garlic have gone nice and golden, while keeping the other veg moving around the pan. Remove the garlic from the pan and set aside with the oxtail.

Next add the tomato purée and cook for a minute or two until it starts to caramelise. Add the flour, give it a good stir and allow to cook for a further minute. Transfer everything to a large casserole, being sure to give the pan a good scrape.

Heat a little more oil in the frying pan and fry the bacon lardons for a few minutes, before adding to the casserole. Pour over the stock and the wine and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and carefully add the oxtail, garlic and herbs to the casserole. Cover with a lid and put in the oven for 4 hours.

Remove the casserole from the oven and gently transfer the oxtail on to a plate, being careful not to let it break up. Clean off any bits of vegetable, herb or bacon that have stuck to the meat, as you are aiming for a really smooth sauce. Place a sieve over a large bowl and strain all the stewing vegetables, bacon and herbs and discard them. Give the casserole dish a rinse before returning the liquid to it.

Bring the sauce to the boil and simmer gently to reduce. You are aiming for a thin sticky film to form around the meat. This should take 10–20 minutes. Check for seasoning and serve immediately with some creamy mashed potato.