Rabo de Toro

Ingredients

• 1.5kg oxtail, cut into 4cm segments
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 leek, roughly chopped
• 1 green pepper, roughly chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 ripe tomatoes, grated
• 750ml full-bodied red wine
• 600ml beef stock
• 1 tsp sweet pimenton
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig thyme
• 4 whole cloves
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper

Before you cook

• Ask the butcher to cut the oxtail into segments through the joints.
• Trim off any thick external fat, then pat the pieces dry.
• Season the oxtail heavily with salt and black pepper and leave it for 30 minutes.
• Chop the onions, carrots, leek and green pepper roughly, since they will be blended later.
• Grate the tomatoes and discard the skins.
• Dust the seasoned oxtail lightly with the flour, shaking off the excess.

Steps

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy casserole over high heat until it shimmers.
2. Brown the oxtail pieces in three batches, giving each side 3 minutes and resisting the urge to move them.
3. Transfer all the browned oxtail to a plate.
4. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
5. Tip in the onions, carrots, leek, green pepper and whole garlic cloves.
6. Cook the vegetables for 15 minutes, scraping the browned bits off the base, until they are soft and golden.
7. Add the grated tomato and cook for 5 minutes until it darkens.
8. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the pimenton for 20 seconds, then return it to the heat.
9. Pour in the red wine and bring it to a hard boil.
10. Boil the wine for 8 minutes to burn off the alcohol and reduce it by about a third.
11. Return the oxtail and any juices to the pot and add the stock, bay leaves, thyme and cloves.
12. Add just enough water to barely cover the meat if the liquid falls short.
13. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, cover it, and turn the heat as low as it will go.
14. Braise for 3 hours and 30 minutes, turning the pieces every hour.
15. Check that the meat pulls away from the bone with no resistance at all, and give it another 30 minutes if it does not.
16. Lift the oxtail pieces out onto a warm dish and cover them.
17. Fish out the bay leaves, thyme stalk and cloves and discard them.
18. Blend the remaining vegetables and liquid to a smooth sauce with a stick blender.
19. Push the sauce through a sieve back into the pot for a silkier finish.
20. Boil the sauce hard for 10 minutes until it is glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
21. Taste it and adjust the salt.
22. Return the oxtail to the sauce and warm it through for 5 minutes before serving with fried potatoes.