Plan this meal a day in advance so you can cook the oxtails and get rid of the fat before cooking with the vegetables. Crusty bread is a welcome addition to soak up the rich gravy.
Prep Time: 4 hours, 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2-1/2 to 3 pounds beef oxtails
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup red wine
- 1-3/4 cups beef broth
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup (8 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 bay leaf, broken in half
- 6 cloves of garlic, large ones cut in half
- 4 ounces white button mushrooms
- 1/2 sweet onion, cut into 6 wedges
- 4 medium red potatoes, cut in half
- 4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 1 cup fresh sugar snap peas
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F.Sprinkle the oxtails liberally with salt and pepper on both sides, then sprinkle with the flour.
Coat the bottom of a heavy oven-proof Dutch oven or deep skillet with the olive oil. Brown the oxtails on all sides and remove to a platter. Add the wine to the hot pan and boil for two minutes, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, bay leaf, and garlic. Stir to combine and return oxtails to the pan. Cover tightly, place in the preheated oven, and bake for 2 hours.
Let cool. Place oxtails in a container. Pour gravy in a separate container. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Skim fat from the gravy. Return gravy and oxtails to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Add mushrooms, sweet onion wedges, red potatos, and carrots to the pot. Cover and simmer until potatoes are almost tender. Add sugar snap peas and simmer another 5 minutes.
Serve oxtails with the vegetables and pan gravy.
Yield: 4 servings
