Name: Oxtail Ragout in Red Wine
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 185 min
Total time: 260 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: europäisch
Ingredients: 1.6 kg oxtail, cut into pieces; 1 tbsp plain flour; 3 tbsp clarified butter (ghee); 250 g soup vegetables (carrot, celeriac, leek), cut into chunks; 2 shallots, quartered; 0.5 garlic bulb, halved crosswise; 1 pinch sugar; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 4 sprigs thyme; 1 sprig rosemary; 600 ml dry red wine; 100 ml Madeira; 200 ml water (more for topping up if needed); 200 g mushrooms, sliced; 2 stalks celery, strings removed and cut into small pieces; 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with a little water; salt (only after browning); black pepper, freshly ground; 4 medium waxy potatoes, peeled; 1 egg; 1 tbsp plain flour; 1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated; 2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee); salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 150 °C (conventional). Rinse the oxtail pieces, pat them very dry and dust lightly with flour.
Heat the clarified butter in a large casserole and brown the meat on all sides in batches; do not crowd the pot, or the meat will stew in its own juices. Only then season with salt and pepper.
Brown the soup vegetables, shallots and garlic as well, seasoning with the sugar and a little salt. Briefly roast the tomato purée with them.
Return the meat to the pot and add the thyme, rosemary, red wine, Madeira and water. Cover and braise in the oven for 2½ to 3 hours, until the meat comes easily off the bone; top up the liquid if needed.
Take out the meat, let it cool briefly and remove it from the bones and cartilage. Strain the braising liquid through a sieve, discard the vegetables, return the meat to the sauce, adjust the seasoning and reduce a little more.
Stir in the mushrooms and celery and steam, covered, for 10 minutes. Thicken the sauce lightly with the cornflour mixture.
For the rösti, coarsely grate the potatoes and mix with salt, pepper, nutmeg, flour and egg. Heat the clarified butter, spoon the mixture into the pan by the tablespoon, flatten and fry until golden brown on both sides.
Serve the ragout with the rösti on warmed plates.

Drink with it

Red wine · excellent match
Full-bodied red wine such as Syrah from the Rhône or Barolo
Tannin grips the gelatin-rich meat, and dark fruit and spice mirror the red wine in the sauce.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Sherry-cask whisky · good match
Full-bodied sherry-cask whisky, neat or with a splash of water
Raisin and nut notes from the sherry cask pick up the Madeira and the dark sauce; with a red-wine braise, though, it remains second best.
What Does the Cask Do to Whisky?
Dark beer · good match
Dark Doppelbock or porter, lightly chilled
Roasted and caramel malt echo the gravy without fighting the depth of the dish.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 150 °C (conventional). Rinse the oxtail pieces, pat them very dry and dust lightly with flour.
Heat the clarified butter in a large casserole and brown the meat on all sides in batches; do not crowd the pot, or the meat will stew in its own juices. Only then season with salt and pepper.
Brown the soup vegetables, shallots and garlic as well, seasoning with the sugar and a little salt. Briefly roast the tomato purée with them.
Return the meat to the pot and add the thyme, rosemary, red wine, Madeira and water. Cover and braise in the oven for 2½ to 3 hours, until the meat comes easily off the bone; top up the liquid if needed.
Take out the meat, let it cool briefly and remove it from the bones and cartilage. Strain the braising liquid through a sieve, discard the vegetables, return the meat to the sauce, adjust the seasoning and reduce a little more.
Stir in the mushrooms and celery and steam, covered, for 10 minutes. Thicken the sauce lightly with the cornflour mixture.
For the rösti, coarsely grate the potatoes and mix with salt, pepper, nutmeg, flour and egg. Heat the clarified butter, spoon the mixture into the pan by the tablespoon, flatten and fry until golden brown on both sides.
Serve the ragout with the rösti on warmed plates.

Drink with it

Red wine · excellent match
Full-bodied red wine such as Syrah from the Rhône or Barolo
Tannin grips the gelatin-rich meat, and dark fruit and spice mirror the red wine in the sauce.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Sherry-cask whisky · good match
Full-bodied sherry-cask whisky, neat or with a splash of water
Raisin and nut notes from the sherry cask pick up the Madeira and the dark sauce; with a red-wine braise, though, it remains second best.
What Does the Cask Do to Whisky?
Dark beer · good match
Dark Doppelbock or porter, lightly chilled
Roasted and caramel malt echo the gravy without fighting the depth of the dish.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue

Oxtail Ragout in Red Wine

Preparation

Drink with it

Full-bodied red wine such as Syrah from the Rhône or Barolo

Full-bodied sherry-cask whisky, neat or with a splash of water

Dark Doppelbock or porter, lightly chilled

This pairs well too.

Albóndigas in Tomato Sauce (Spanish meatballs)

Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Beef Fillet with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Beef Rouladen

Oxtail Ragout in Red Wine

Preparation

Drink with it

Full-bodied red wine such as Syrah from the Rhône or Barolo

Full-bodied sherry-cask whisky, neat or with a splash of water

Dark Doppelbock or porter, lightly chilled

This pairs well too.

Albóndigas in Tomato Sauce (Spanish meatballs)

Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Beef Fillet with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Beef Rouladen