Red Wine And Garlic Braised Oxtail

Red wine and garlic oxtail

Recipe by: Alida Ryder
Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 10min
Cooking time: 6-10min

1.5 kg oxtail
1 large onions, chopped
2 carrots,roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs thyme
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp sugar
500 ml red wine
500 ml beef stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, brown the beef in a splash of oil. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Fry the onions, carrots and celery until soft and fragrant then add the garlic, bay leaf and fresh thyme.
Add the tomatoes and sugar and allow to simmer for 5 minutes before adding back the oxtail.
Pour in the red wine and beef stock then season.
Cover the pot and reduce the heat then allow to simmer for 3-4 hours or until the oxtail is meltingly tender, checking on it every 30 minutes or so to ensure the stew hasn't dried out.
Add more stock if necessary.
Serve the oxtail with butterbean mash.

Butterbean Mash

60 ml olive oil (plus 2 teaspoons)
most of 1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
grated zest 1 lemon
1230 grams white beans (3 cans)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

Put the 60ml / ¼ cup of olive oil in a saucepan, and mix in the garlic. Add the whole rosemary sprig, if using, and the lemon zest and warm through.
Remove the rosemary, but do not throw away.
Drain the beans and rinse under a tap to get rid of the gloop and then add to the pan and warm through, stirring and squishing with a wide, flat spoon so that the beans go into a nobbly mush. Season to taste; some beans come saltier than others.