WINTER DELIGHTS
OVEN BAKED OXTAIL

Hello Everyone!

Yes, I love quick recipes and just hate the thought of spending hours and hours slaving away in the kitchen. There’s just something about being able to get into the kitchen and prepare a meal that tastes divine, takes the least effort to make and results in few dishes to clean up.

Today’s bite of yum is oven baked oxtail. Most of the work you will do with this recipe is during the preparation time. For the rest, sit back, relax and let your oven do the work.

Preparation Time: 20min  Cooking Time: 5hours     Yield: 5-6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 packet beef oxtail (1.4kg)

3 teaspoons all purpose spice

6 garlic cloves crushed

3 carrots slices

10 clearly sticks

1 red onion cut into chunks

380ml tomato & veggie sauce

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar reduction

3 tablespoons Fig Jam

Fresh Herb mix (thyme, basil, rosemary, parsley, flat leaf parsley)

Salt & pepper to season

Virgin olive oil

1 cup red wine

1.5 Litres water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Turn your oven on to 190 degrees Celsius and let it preheat.
2. Place olive oil in a pan and sear the oxtail. The meat should be deeply golden all over.
3. Put the celery at the bottom of your casserole dish and then add the seared oxtail.
4. Place all the other ingredients into the casserole dish together with the water.
5. Place into the oven and cook for 5 hours until soft and tender.

This oxtail was served with creamed gem squash and baby spinach. You know what “they” say about leftover food and giving those flavours a chance to do their thing right?

Bon Appétit!

Recipe Tips: Good Quality Cuts – I’ve noticed that some cuts of oxtail are much tougher and take longer to cook and produce that soft or fall-off-the-bone result. Personally, in order to cook my oxtail for a shorter period and to get it softer quicker, purchasing the oxtail from a very reputable butchery that’s big on quality goes a long way.

For the red wine vinegar reduction used in this recipe, try out the products from Froggit. Locate a stockist near you and sample products that range from balsamic reductions, sauces, chutneys, jams, salad dressings and olive oils.