MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Braised Oxtail with Cinnamon
 Categories: British,  Beef, Wine, Casseroles
      Yield: 4 Servings
 
      2    Oxtails cut into pieces
      2 tb Seasoned flour
           Butter
      1    Onion
      2    Celery ribs
      2 md Carrots
    150 ml Ruby port
      1    Bottle red Rhone wine
      3    Cinnamon sticks; broken into
           -pieces
      3    Bay leaves
      2 ts Black peppercorns
      5    Thyme sprigs
           Salt
           Black pepper; fresly ground
      1    Strip orange zest
  1 1/4 L  Rich beef stock
 
  Preheat oven to 150 C/gas 2. Trim oxtail pieces of excess fat and wash
  the meat. Toss in seasoned flour and shake off any excess. Melt some
  butter in a heavy bottomed pan or frying pan. Add oxtail - sear brown
  on all sides. Remove oxtail with slotted spoon to deep ovenproof
  casserole.
  
  Peel and roughly chop vegetables, add to pan and brown in butter. Add
  vegetables to oxtail in casserole. Add port to pan. Reduce until
  sticky, stirring constantly to scrape up crusty meat sediment from
  pan.
  
  Gradually add wine to pan and bring to the boil. Boil hard for about
  10 minutes to drive off alcohol. Add stock, cinnamon, bay.
  peppercorns, thyme, salt & pepper. Return to boil. Add to oxtail
  casserole.
  
  Cover with lid and cook in pre-heated oven for 3-1/2 to 4 hours,
  until meat is falling from bones.
  
  Remove oxtail from casserole with slotted spoon and keep hot. Strain
  casserole juices into clean pan, pressing vegetables well with back of
  ladle or draining spoon to extract all possible flavour. At this
  point the casserole could be refrigerated overnight to allow fat to
  solidify, and then be removed. Re-heat oxtail and sauce.
  
  Bring sauce to boil and season to taste. Skin off as much fat as
  possible. Sauce should be deep in colour, rich and unctuous.
  
  Serve oxtail with sauce poured over and with mashed potatoes.
  
  Carlton Food Network http://www.cfn.co.uk/
 
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