This is an economical autumn/winter dish and you can save time by making double the quantity, and the next night it can be reheated or the meat removed from the bones and added back to the sauce. This can then be served over pasta, used as a pie base or have beef stock added and turned into a soup.

Ingredients

• 800 grams oxtail or 4 large pieces
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
• ½ cup red wine
• 400 gram can tomatoes in puree, diced
• 2 tblsp chopped fresh rosemary
• ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup black olives

Method

1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized heavy-based saucepan. Brown the oxtail then remove from the pan.
2. 2. Panfry the onion in the residue oil until lightly browned. Add the garlic and red wine and simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Add the oxtail, canned tomatoes, and rosemary. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 – 1 ½ hours on top of the stove or in an 180C oven.
3. Season with salt and pepper and serve with Mashed Potatoes with Crème Fraiche and Chives.

Cooks Tips

For those readers with crock pots, the Oxtail In Tuscan Flavours is ideal to be cooked in one. Make double or treble the recipe and leave on low during the day. Remember ,every time you lift the lid on a crock pot, you lose ½ an hour of cooking time! Variation: Use lamb shanks in place of oxtail. Make sure you brown the meat well, even if cooking in the crock pot, to ensure good colour and flavour to the finished dish.