Henry writes:

I love this recipe as it uses flavourful cheap ingredients. It requires a litte effort initially before the ingredients take over and sort themselves out. Apart from finding a large enough pot it only requires minimal skills and confidence for an impressive result.

Fresh stock is a precious commodity so by using oxtail with its inherently gelatinous texture and equal quantities of onions for sweetness and  depth of flavour you can cheat and substitute water and a stock cube for the stock.
You can use even cheaper cuts than chuck such as shin or featherblade, they will just need longer cooking and buy them from a butcher and not a supermarket!

Serves up to 8 people

4 tbsp plain flour
1 whole oxtail, cut into pieces by a butcher
500gm chuck steak, in large chunks
100g butter
splash of olive oil
1 kilo onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 large flat mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, diced
1 bottle cheap red wine or similar quantity of beer
2 bay leaves

Preheat the oven to 160C. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Roll the pieces of meat through the flour. Discard the leftover flour. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large wide pan until foaming. Add some of the meat and brown on all sides and transfer to a large casserole, repeat this with the remaining meat. Put the onions, mushrooms and bacon into the pan and cook over a medium heat for thirty to forty minutes. This is dependent on the size of the pan but the end goal is soft, lightly browned onions.

When you have achieved this throw in all of the red wine, bring it all to the boil and then add it to the casserole. If the meat isn’t properly covered then add some water. Apply some heat to the base of the casserole until the contents are bubbling away and then put it in the oven and cook it for about two to three hours or until the meat on the oxtail comes away easily from the bone. Remove the lid for the last thirty minutes of cooking to concentrate the flavours a little more. Check the seasoning and set aside to cool, completey. Store in the fridge for twenty four hours and then reheat. I like to serve this with mash, soft/wet polenta or buttered macaroni.

HENRY HARRIS©2009

Read more about Henry's restaurant Racine (one of James's favourites) here or follow Henry on Twitter @racine_kitchen

 

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