Oxtail Stew

The hubby recently attended a butchery course at Allen's of Mayfair, and returned home, rather a bit worse for wear after dinner out with friends, with a selection of meat, butchered by his own fair hands! Tonight it was the turn of the oxtails.

Now, I've never cooked with these before, but the butchers also provided, very kindly I might add, a recipe. It was a simple stew with winter veg. Simply brown the oxtails and place in a ovenproof dish. Fry off the veg - celery, onions, leeks, carrots - in the same pan, then add chopped tomatoes, a bay leaf and a spring of thyme. When softened, add to the pot for the oven. Reduce a few glasses of red wine in the original pan, add some beef stock and pour over the meat and veg. Pop in to a hot oven for at least an hour and a half. I also added some tomato puree, a blob of redcurrant jelly and stirred in a little flour to thicken the sauce. The recipe suggests that once cooked, you pour out the sauce and reduce on the hob, but I couldn't be bothered with the palaver!

I enjoyed using the carrots and the leeks from the garden, even though the carrots were a little stunted!