This is another warming dish perfect for a cold autumn night. The sweetness and light texture of the cauliflower puree acted as the perfect canvas for the rich full bodied stew, cleansing your palate gently between each bite, making you want to go back for more.
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 20min prep, 3.25hrs cooking
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Oxtail Stew
- 1kg oxtail*
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp all spice
- 2 shallots cut length ways into quarters
- 1/2 celery sliced
- 2 carrots peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 celeriac peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 750ml red wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 6 parsley sprigs
- 2 rosemary branches
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- salt
- pepper
Cauliflower Puree
- 1 whole cauliflower roughly chopped
- 400ml milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp butter
- salt
- pepper
* You can replace it with beef brisket if you prefer.
Method
1. Coat the oxtail thoroughly with flour and dust off the excess. Sear them in a cast iron pot with oil until golden brown. Take them out of the pot and set aside for later. Heat the oven to 150 degrees.
2. Add shallots, celery, garlic and all spice to the pan, cook for 5min on medium until softened and the fragrance released. Add the carrots and celeriac and cook over medium heat for a further 5min, before adding salt, pepper, bay leaves, rosemary, parsley springs, 375m of the red wine and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. Bring it to boil and add the tomato paste and the oxtail. Make sure that the liquid is just covering the oxtail and the vegetables, if not, add more using the same proportion. Bring it to boil.
3. Transfer the stew to the oven and cook over 3 hours, checking every hour to ensure that there is enough stewing liquid. Top up with the remaining red wine and chicken stock in the same portion if required.
4. Half an hour before the stew is ready, start preparing the cauliflower puree by adding the cauliflower in a pot with milk, chicken stock, nutmeg, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Ensure there is enough liquid to just cover the cauliflower, if not add more milk. Bring it to boil over medium heat and gently simmer over low heat for 25 minutes, or until softened. Transfer the cauliflower, approx. 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and butter to a blender, leaving most liquid in the pot. Blend until a smooth consistency is achieved.
5. Take the stew out of the oven, take out most of the meat and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Taste the sauce and make final adjustment to the seasoning as required. In a separate small pan, add about 2 tbsp flour to melted butter and cook over medium heat to make a roux. Add the roux to the stew liquid to thicken the sauce, before returning the oxtail back into the pot and make sure it's coated nicely by the sauce.
5. Serve by transferring the puree to the plate, top with oxtail stew and finish with chopped parsley.
Enjoy!
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