Dinner for Under £10 – Oxtail and a Bottle of Red Wine

Oxtail is one of those forgotten meats that makes a brilliant velvety stew that is full of goodness. You can ask your local butcher for it and its inexpensive. It is usually cut into short lengths. Oxtail is a bony, gelatinous meat, and is best slow-cooked in stews or braised. Oxtail is the main ingredient of the Italian dish Coda Alla Vaccinara and is a popular traditional dish in both the American South, China, and Indonesia. Stewed oxtail with butter beans is popular in Jamaica and Trinidad and it is also used to make many Philippine dishes.

There is a story that oxtail soup had its origin during the Reign of Terror in Paris in 1793 during the French Revolution, when many of the nobility were reduced to starvation and absolute beggary. The abattoirs sent their hides fresh to the tanners without removing the tails, and in cleaning them the tails were thrown away. One day one of the noble beggars, while happening to pass a tannery, noticed a pile of discarded tails, and asking for one it was willingly given to him. He took it to his lodging and made what is now famous - the first dish of oxtail soup!

Oxtail Stew

2 oxtails, jointed
seasoned flour for dusting
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 lb carrots, thickly sliced
pinch cinnamon
a few cloves
pinch of thyme
2 bay leaves
sprig rosemary
salt and black pepper
pint beef stock

Coat the oxtail in seasoned flour and brown in the oil in a casserole dish. Lift out the oxtail and set aside. Reduce the heat and add the onions and garlic. Fry until tender. Return the oxtail to the pan with all the remaining ingredients and cover with the stock. Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for 3 hours. Uncover and continue simmering for a further 1 – 2 hours until the meat falls easily from the bone and the sauce has thickened. Skim the fat from the surface, adjust seasoning and serve with potatoes or noodles.

A great wine to accompany your oxtail soup is Chateau Chadeuil (£4.75) – it's a traditional Bordeaux which is well-rounded and fleshy on the mouth with well balanced tannins and a long silky finish. This is a wine that has been produced with good food in mind. It's a good dark ruby colour and reveals beautiful aromas of blackberries with a hint of vanilla and a smooth finish.

This wine had a great write up in the Telegraph by Jonathan Ray and is an absolute bargain!

"I've no idea why this is so cheap, but cheap it is and well worth snapping up. A blend of 60 per cent Merlot, 20 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 20 per cent Cabernet Franc from a fine vintage, this AC Bordeaux could give far better-known clarets a run for their money. Serve with confidence at dinner parties; nobody need know how little you paid."