Oxtail braised in rose wine
This is a weekend dish where you whack it all together and let it slow cook while you get on with stuff. In parts of Italy slaughter men - vaccinari – used to be paid with hide, offal and off cuts of the animals they butchered, which lead to the creation of many rustic yet flavoursome dishes.
Ingredients
1kg oxtail on the bone 1 red onion, sliced into rings1 full head garlic, chopped in half8 anchovies from a jar500ml rosé wineSalt and pepperFresh basil, roughly chopped
To serve
250g tender stem or purple sprouting broccoli 50g butter - optionalSmall handful pine nutsButtered baguette
Method:
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan and heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the oxtails and allow them to brown on each side. Remove from the pan – though keep the pan on the heat.
Into a large, deep sided roasting dish add the sliced onion, garlic and anchovies.
Pour the wine into the frying pan, which will sizzle, to get all of the meaty juices from the bottom of the pan, pour into the roasting dish and season with salt and pepper.
Cover with foil and slide into the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat of the oven to 170C/150C fan and slow cook for 2.5 hours – keep peeking into the foil and top with a little water if it starts to dry out, though do be very careful not to burn yourself.
When the meat is ready, heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the broccoli until lightly charred and tender. If you like you can add butter to the pan until it melts and coats the broccoli. Add a little salt and pepper then put onto a plate and sprinkle over the pine nuts.
Sprinkle the basil over the oxtail and serve with broccoli.