Dad's Oxtail

Let the oven do the hard work – this rich, oozy oxtail stew is well worth the wait.

Ingredients:

• 5 T olive oil
• 2.5 kg oxtail, cut into 4 cm chunks
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 400 g carrots, sliced julienne
• 400 g celery, sliced julienne
• 1 T fresh rosemary finely chopped, plus an additional sprig for remembrance
• 1 T fresh thyme finely chopped, plus an additional sprig for courage
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• 2 T flour
• 2 x 400 g whole tomatoes cans
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 litre beef stock

Instructions:

Preheat the oven 220°C. Place 3 T oil in a roasting tray and heat in the oven. Once the oil is hot, add the oxtail and toss until all the meat is coated. Season to taste.

Return the meat to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes, or until it’s nicely browned and the fat is golden.

Meanwhile, place the carrots, celery and herbs in a large saucepan with the remaining olive oil and gently simmer for 20 minutes. (You many need to add a few tablespoons of water at some point.)

Remove the oxtail from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven’s temperature to 170°C. Add the bay leaves, cloves, flour, tomatoes, wine and beef stock to the vegetables. Lastly add the oxtail, all the roasting juices and bring to a boil.

Return to the roasting tray, cover with a lid and cook in the oven for a further 5 hours. If you make this a day or two in advance, no harm comes to it if you put it into the oven at 170°C for another hour or so to heat it up.