Braised oxtail with basil dumplings

Braised oxtail with basil dumplings

Slow-cooked oxtail is soft, melting meat and teamed with this rich red wine sauce it's perfect for parties

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 3 hrs 30 mins

Freezable

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Season the flour with salt and pepper, then toss the oxtail in it until evenly coated. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Working in batches, brown the meat really well on all sides. Remove from the pan, then add the veg and garlic and fry for 3-4 mins until starting to colour. Stir in the tomato purée and herbs. Tip the meat back into the pan, pour over the wine, then crumble in the stock cube. Season, cover the pan and braise in the oven for 3 hrs until the meat is meltingly tender. Can be cooked up to 2 days ahead. If you make it ahead, chill in the fridge and lift any fat off the top before reheating.
  2. To make the dumplings, tip the flour and basil (reserving a few leaves for a garnish) into a food processor with a generous pinch of salt, then blitz until the basil is finely chopped. Add the butter and blitz until it's the texture of breadcrumbs, then gradually add the egg whites until everything comes together. On a floured surface, roll the dumplings into small, walnut-size balls, then cover with a tea towel until ready to cook.
  3. To serve, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Simmer dumplings for 15 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon. While the dumplings are cooking, gently reheat the meat in the sauce. Serve a few chunks of meat in a soup bowl with a few dumplings, drizzled with olive oil and scattered with a few basil leaves.
Try

Oxtail

This is the tail meat from cattle and, when slow-cooked, is one of the tastiest cuts of beef. You may see whole oxtail in the butchers, but for most dishes you will want it jointed into pieces. As the oxtail has a thick and a thin end, the pieces will vary in size - you will need two large pieces per serving. Oxtail should be neatly jointed without any splintery bits of bone attached to the meat.

Barney says...

Oxtail is tough, so you need to braise it for a good few hours. What you are then left with is the magic of cooking - soft, melting meat with a thick, glistening sauce. I think it goes really well with these basil dumplings.

Per serving

812 kcalories, protein 53g, carbohydrate 50g, fat 41 g, saturated fat 17g, fibre 4g, sugar 8g, salt 2.08 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2008.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo michele

    2008-09-18 22:16:40.047275

    michele commented on this recipe

    I am 64 yrs old and have always assumed that dumplings were made using suet! I found this recipe and they were stunning. Light and fuffly and perfect with beef stew. I wi use this recipe from now on. Thank you.

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  • Binder photo schubun

    2008-11-03 14:39:41.430639

    schubun rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    Very disappointed with this recipe, made this as the weekend for Sunday lunch we halved the recipe and after 3 hours cooking time all we were left with was a dry casserole dish with burnt vegetables on the bottom, I can only assume that the oven temp it too high to cook for 3 hours, or is there additional stock to go in as well as the 1/2 bottle of wine as it only said to crumble in a stock cube - very disappointed but the dumplings were lovely and very easy to make just a shame about the stew. So am still on the hunt for a good slow cooked Oxtail recipe.

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  • Binder photo Barney

    2009-02-04 12:13:20.741267

    Barney commented on this recipe

    Hi schubun, Sorry for not commenting sooner and really sorry that the recipe didn't work for you. Here's the thing though, when slow braising with liquids you can't simply halve the recipe and apply the same same cooking times as (as you experienced) the liquid will reduce down to nothing before the protein is tender. So if you need to half a stew or braise in the future I recommend you halve the amount of meat used but stick to the same proportions of liquid so the cooking time still applies. If at the end you end up with too much sauce you can always simmer it down separately before serving. I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions. Barney

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  • Binder photo Mattmes

    2009-02-10 16:30:52.647411

    Mattmes commented on this recipe

    Am going to make this recipe next week. Looking forward to it.

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  • Binder photo Barney

    2009-02-12 15:12:58.836312

    Barney commented on this recipe

    Brilliant, please will you let me know how it goes and rate it accordingly. It's rather sad that such a good, cheap dish only gets one star when the recipe wasn't followed properly :( B

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  • Binder photo Mattmes

    2009-02-23 21:43:25.088617

    Mattmes rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I cooked this for my family recently and they really enjoyed it. The recipe was very easy to follow and the sauce was completely unctuous and tasty. I will definitely cook with oxtail again and would cook this again too. The only thing that I felt I wasn't as pleased with were the basil dumplings - although not obnoxious in any way, I have to admit that I much prefer dumplings made with suet. I also made the casserole with buttery mashed potato which went really well with the sauce.

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  • Binder photo Viking

    2009-04-05 22:03:25.892119

    Viking commented on this recipe

    What size bottle of wine do you use? I'm in Australia and when a recipe calls for a "bottle of wine", we use a standard 750ml bottle. Is this the size to use? Hoping someone can answer my question, as I'd love to try this recipe, but 750ml of wine seems a bit too much.

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  • Binder photo NaomiA

    2009-06-14 23:55:18.47891

    NaomiA rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Having never cooked oxtail before, I was delighted to find this recipe and can confirm it works a treat! Viking, yes, 750ml of good red wine. It is a lot, but over the three hours it turns into a gorgeous gloopy sauce. Having made this a couple of times now, if you want to simplify the recipe I can confirm that it works just as beautifully without flouring the oxtail. I also added an extra can of tomatoes to the veggies, because I love that tomatoey flavour, and if you want a quick alternative to the basil dumplings, it goes really well with polenta. Also, I've done it with just one oxtail - just leave all the other ingredients exactly the same, don't halve the wine or veggies and you'll be fine. And it does indeed reheat perfectly. Mmmm... looking forward to making this again. A credit crunch treat.

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  • Binder photo Viking

    2009-06-27 21:51:01.143865

    Viking commented on this recipe

    NaomiA - Thanks for your reply and tips. Just last week, I came across this recipe in the Australian edition of BBC Good Food magazine, and the recipe does specify 750mls of wine. So looking forward to trying it. Thanks again.

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  • Binder photo Viking

    2009-07-15 21:54:09.868433

    Viking rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Finally got around to making this and it received the thumbs up from all of us. After 3 hours cooking, the meat was still a little tough, so I left it in the oven for a little longer, and, to be honest, I actually forgot about it! So it ended up cooking for 4 1/2 hours, by which time the meat was so tender and the sauce was quite thick as it had reduced. I didn't make the dumplings as we're watching our carb intake, so served it with sweet potato and pumpkin mash (full of carbs, yes, but at least they're sort of "good" carbs!) I'll definitely make this again.

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  • Binder photo BARBARA

    2009-07-26 21:34:01.921329

    BARBARA commented on this recipe

    My butcher is getting me some oxtails in on Wednesday so I am going to make this for the weekend. I am going to follow the ingredients but am going to cook it in my slow cooker as i think this will soften the meat better. Hopefully the results will be the same.

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  • Binder photo BARBARA

    2009-08-09 00:12:24.2951

    BARBARA rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Well what a lovely meal this was. I cooked it in my slow cooker overnight and then a little more and it was superb. The meat just fell off the bone and was delicious. The dumplings worked really well with the meat and were a success with all. This was a really hearty, tasty dish full of deep flavours and an absolute winner with everyone. I bought my oxtail from my butcher and found it was much better value than buying in the supermarket. A large oxtail from him cost me £7 and in the supermarket for £3.50 you only got 4 very small pieces.

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  • Binder photo Michelle, Milan

    2009-08-30 18:06:45.066113

    Michelle, Milan commented on this recipe

    I can't wait for Autumn and Winter to try this recipe out on family and friends! Even though Italy is a haven for good recipes and fantastic ingredients and obviously very fussy eaters, during the winter months it always gives me great pleasure to entertain and show that we Brits are not all about fish and chips! Once cooked will leave my ratings and comments.

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  • Binder photo Moira J

    2010-05-03 16:06:15.335988

    Moira J commented on this recipe

    Going to try the dumplings tonight with my 'one pot' sausage stew cooked in slow cooker. Thanks BARBARA - I planned to try the oxtail also in my slow cooker, good to know someone else does. I do all my stews, soups and casseroles in it so they never burn or dry out and are always scrumptious!

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  • Binder photo debbie

    2010-08-23 23:14:50.693088

    debbie rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Stew delicious and will definately make this again, however dumplings were hard in the middle, I think I overcooked them but have never been successful with dumplings anyway.

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  • Binder photo amber

    2010-09-07 19:44:17.512956

    amber rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    gosh, this was so yummy! I am afraid that I chickened out of making the dumplings, I can't conceive that you can make dumplings without suet!!! Maybe I will have a go at those next time. I will most definitely be making this dish again, I loved it. My husband did balk at the wine I used but I think that it is worth using good stuff!!! Cooked it exactly as the recipe and could not believe how nice it was, such a rich sauce.

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  • Binder photo Jane Gough

    2010-09-21 12:39:50.334017

    Jane Gough commented on this recipe

    What a fantastic recipe. Left out the dumplings and put the whole lot in my slow cooker for about 6 hours on high. It was sensational and can't wait to cook it again. Served with mash and savoy cabbage. yum!

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  • Binder photo Ciaran

    2010-09-29 11:11:11.838889

    Ciaran rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I've made this twice before and it has been delicious both times. It's also set in the the oven (on timer) for dinner tonight....one of the best things about the turn in the seasons is getting dishes like this back on the menu!

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  • Binder photo Kellym

    2010-10-07 10:02:59.811231

    Kellym rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    I was a bit disappointed - the sauce was lovely and rich but the oxtail tasted really bland. I'd expected it to be quite strong tasting (I've eaten it out but never cooked with it before). Did I do something wrong?

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  • Binder photo Heather

    2010-11-05 12:24:13.638193

    Heather rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Living in Kosovo temporarily so had fun asking the butcher for oxtail, a few demonstations and i got 4 slices for my husband and i .... following everyone's comments i reduced the amount of meat but kept the liquid the same and it was absolutely gorgeous.... my husband said it was the best red wine sauce he'd ever had and i even licked the bowl clean when he wasn't looking... will definitely be doing again.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 3 hrs 30 mins

Freezable

Smart food for a crowd

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 oxtail , jointed and cut into pieces
  • 4 tbsp sunflower oil , for frying
  • 2 onions , chopped
  • 3 carrots , cut into small chunks
  • 2 celery sticks, cut into small chunks
  • 2 garlic cloves , chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • bay leaves and thyme sprigs, tied together
  • 1 bottle full-bodied red wine

FOR THE DUMPLINGS

  • 300g self-raising flour
  • bunch basil leaves, removed
  • 75g butter
  • 3 egg whites
  • olive oil , for drizzling
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Per serving

812 kcalories, protein 53g, carbohydrate 50g, fat 41 g, saturated fat 17g, fibre 4g, sugar 8g, salt 2.08 g

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