Braised Oxtail risotto

Pure. Comfort. Food.

This braised oxtail risotto may just be what's missing in your life!

Oxtail is a meal in itself. You could serve with broth, over mashed sweet potato or even just a big plate of it on the bone, for everyone to dive into with some good sourdough bread to mop up the juices.

But here’s our absolute favourite way with oxtail, served up with delicious risotto. Begin the oxtail earlier in the day or even better, a day or two before.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Braised Oxtail

1kg oxtail
Sea salt, fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium brown onion, peeled, diced
8 clove garlic, smashed
¼ cup rosemary leaves
2 tbsp tomato paste
500ml GOOD BONES Beef Broth

Risotto

500ml GOOD BONES Beef Broth
5 tbsp olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely diced
2 clove garlic, finely chopped
Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper
1 1/3 cups arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine

30g unsalted butter
2/3 cup grated parmesan + extra piece to serve
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

METHOD

Oxtail - preheat an oven to 170C. Heat a deep frypan that can go in the oven or crockpot over a medium high heat and add the oil. Season the oxtail and add to the pan, caramelising all over then remove to a plate. Add the onion, garlic and rosemary to the pan and sweat off for 3 minutes then add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add the oxtail back to the pan along with the broth and any water needed to just cover the oxtail. Bring to the boil, cover with baking paper then a lid and transfer to the oven for 2.5 – 3 hours.

You want the oxtail to easily pull from the bone. Let the oxtail sit for 10 minutes then remove the oxtail to a plate and skim the fat from the surface of the cooking sauce. Shred the oxtail meat back through the sauce and keep all the onion and garlic in there. Set aside.

Risotto - Pour the broth and 500ml water into a small saucepan, bring to a simmer then turn right down to keep hot.

Place a medium saucepan over a medium/high heat and add 3 tbsp of olive oil, the onion, garlic, and pinch of salt. Sweat this for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft then add the rice and stir through, cooking for another 1 minutes. Stirring constantly.

Add the wine to the pan and stir this through the rice to absorb then begin adding the hot broth, a ladle or so at a time and stirring constantly as it absorbs through the rice and the risotto starts to become creamy.

Continue adding the broth after each ladle has been absorbed and the rice becomes creamy. Stir through half the oxtail ragu, reserve the remaining to top the risotto.

Once the rice is cooked and the risotto is loose and creamy, remove from the heat, add the butter, parmesan, parsley and adjust the seasoning to taste. Cover the risotto and let it sit for 2-3 minutes.

To serve, spoon the risotto onto plates and top with the remaining oxtail and grate over extra parmesan and a good crack of black pepper.