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 21-40

  • Binder photo Mouser

    17 November 2010

    Mouser rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I cooked this for two people so I have loads of lovely sauce left over which I will serve with a steak and some sauteed mushrooms. I would recommend trying the dumplings. They are exceptionally light and the aromatic basil contrasts well with the rich sauce.

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  • Binder photo jane hickman

    23 November 2010

    jane hickman commented on this recipe

    i have just bought 2KG of oxtail, but i have no idea what this means in terms of tails, can anyone help?????? i really wouyld like to cook this soon as it's forcast snow this weekend

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  • Binder photo Davina

    24 November 2010

    Davina commented on this recipe

    To save on time & energy after browning the meat I put the whole lot with the stock in a pressure cooker, bring it to pressure & cook it for half an hour. After that the meat is tender & you can reduce the stock to however you want it. Delicious.

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  • Binder photo Abi

    19 December 2010

    Abi rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Tried this at New Year's last year as something different. It was a show stopper - different and absolutely delicious, rich in taste and the meat very succulent and tender.

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  • Binder photo flubbles1982

    26 January 2011

    flubbles1982 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Had this for dinner tonight and it was divine! I made it in my slow cooker and as I was eating it, I was actually sad that this was the first time in all my 28 years that I have eaten oxtail. What have I been doing all my life? Part of me wanted to dash out and buy more oxtail straight away. I just wondered, can I use the leftover stock in the same way you would use beef stock? Oh and can the fat be used to cook roast potatoes etc in? I urge you to cook this dish, especially if you have never had oxtail before. The best meal I have had in a very long time! Thank you Barney!

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  • Binder photo Lisa

    29 January 2011

    Lisa rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Have made this a few times and it always goes down a storm. I'm now the owner of a slowcooker so, following barbara's post i'm going to try the oxtail in there!

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  • Binder photo andycrofts

    12 February 2011

    andycrofts commented on this recipe

    This is simply made for a slow-cooker. If you get it a bit wrong in a crockpot, it won't matter! As to the Ozzie bloke worrying about the wine quantity, 2 litres of red does it. I'd suggest following the late Keith Floyd. One for the food, one for the chef. One for thfood, one for the cheff, om fo' the chef, nother for the chef. wassa probblemm? (Hic!) (repeat, wash and rinse). After all, it simmers in a crockpot, it takes awhile! Time to shober up!

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  • Binder photo Charlotte

    20 February 2011

    Charlotte rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    This stew recipe is excellent, really flavourful and hearty. However, I messed up the dumplings, I'm sure it was my own mistake as most other people seem to have successfully made them. I added a bit of water during the mixing process as the 3 eggs I used didn't seem to pull the mixture together. After simmering for 15mins, the dumpling were really heavy and didn't have much flavour. Will certainly make the stew again and my dad has insisted on having the recipe!

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  • Binder photo Viking

    26 February 2011

    Viking commented on this recipe

    To andycrofts: I am the Aussie "bloke" you refer to. Please don't refer to me as a bloke again! I am female, (and a very feminine one at that!) not male, and it's bad enough to be called "mate", but bloke is really below the belt. Definitely not what the Australian woman likes to be called!

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  • Binder photo susan

    20 March 2011

    susan rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Well, i also did only half the recipe and cooked it for 4 hours. My husband said it was delicious, there was lots of thick rich gravey and the meat that fell off the bone. I am about to cook it again for our Sunday dinner.

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  • Binder photo HappyBelly

    28 March 2011

    HappyBelly rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great recipe! So easy to make. I added extra tomato paste and extra garlic cloves. Very tasty dish. Will be making it again for friends next week. Thanks!

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  • Binder photo Olie

    10 August 2011

    Olie rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo diddi

    14 August 2011

    diddi commented on this recipe

    Fantastic! Finally got some oxtails from Smithfield Market, London. They were HUGE1

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  • Binder photo diddi

    14 August 2011

    diddi commented on this recipe

    Fantastic! Finally got oxtail at Smithfields Market, London. They were huge! Took 5 hours to cook but remembered my Gran cooking them and saying just keep cooking till they fall off the bone. I did and my whole family loved them. Have been ordered to do this again and also make some soup. Family does not like dumplings so made yorkshire puddings. Did my family of 4 three meals. The meat also makes a lovely meat and veg pie. Cos took longer too cook ended up using another bottle of wine but it was certainly worth it. Back to Smithfields Monday to buy some more. They were only £8 for 2 huge and I mean huge oxtails! Superb!

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  • Binder photo diddi

    14 August 2011

    diddi rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Cambridge Ladybird

    13 September 2011

    Cambridge Ladybird rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yum yum yum yum yum!!! I love this recipe. I have never had oxtail before and I am a convert. It was beautiful, the meat was so tender it fell off the bone.

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  • Binder photo missjoanie

    23 October 2011

    missjoanie rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Spacegourmet

    30 October 2011

    Spacegourmet rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    The oxtail turned out very nicely and tender, and was easy to prepare, but it did get a bit dry. I just about got away with it, and will pay more attention next time. My dumplings came out very dry - they seem easy to make, but it probably takes a bit more practice! My friends were happy enough...

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  • Binder photo oddy42

    01 November 2011

    oddy42 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    hi my husband as talked about ox tail his mum made so i gave this ago,it went down a treat,i never had befor but will be making this again great recipe

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  • Binder photo Yoyo

    03 November 2011

    Yoyo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I've recently had shoulder surgery. My parents have always said that oxtail is great for recovery..so with one arm in sling..my oxtail is now gently bubbling in the oven..its smelling great :) thanks for the recipe

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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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