Rabo de Toro

Rabo de Toro is a Spanish dish of oxtail. This is my take on it - an oxtail stew with rioja and chorizo.

It takes a couple of days to make and uses an optional pigs trotter. If you use the trotter, skip the flour in the second part of the recipe.

Step 1

Ingredients

• Some Oxtail cut into 5cm chunks
• 1 Trotter (optional)
• 1 Onion
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Stick Celery
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 2 Bay leaves
• Handful of parsley
• Some thyme
• 4 cloves
• 5 pepper corns

Method

• Firstly fry off the oxtail in a large pan until brown.

• Remove the meat from the pan and add the onions, carrots and celery. Fry the veg for a few minutes until they start to colour. Add the herbs, spices and garlic and fry for 2 more minutes.

• Replace the meat and add the trotter if you are using it. Pour in the whole bottle of wine.

• Adjust the heat until you get a very slow simmer, only a few bubbles breaking the surface. Cook for two hours until the meat is tender and will come away from the bone. For the first half an hour, skim off the brown/grey scum that rises to the surface - stop when the foam turns white.

• Remove the meat with a slotted spoon when it is cooked and place it in a bowl. Strain the juices trough a sieve, season with salt and pepper and pour them back over the meat. When it is cold, cover the bowl and place it in the fridge.

• After a day or two the flavours will have matured and if you used the trotter, the stock will have set solid.

Step 2

Ingredients

• 1 Small onion
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Tsp fennel seeds
• 2 Tsp Sweet Paprika
• 2 Tsp Hot Paprika (or hot peppers)
• 2 Tbsp tomato puree
• 2 Tbsp flour (if you didn't use a trotter)
• 2 Cooking chorizo

Method

• Add a large splash of olive oil to a pan and slowly fry the onions and carrots for 10mins or so, until soft and caramelised. Add the chorizo and fry for a further 5 mins.

• Add the spices and flour and fry for a further 2 or three minutes.

• Add the oxtail and half the stock. Cover and cook for 15 mins until warm.

• Check the stew a couple of times to make sure that it's not burning and if it's getting too thick, add some more of the stock.

• I served it with rice, but traditionally it is served with potatoes, usually fried.

Use your fingers.

• It was damn tasty.