GREEN GODDESS

THANK HEAVEN FOR THIS SIMPLE, TASTY AND BUDGETFRIENDLY WINTER FAMILY MEAL

There is nothing quite as comforting as a bit of oxtail in winter. The good news is that bones cooked slowly are very nutritious. They are rich in calcium, magnesium and zinc, which are easily absorbed by the body when released through long cooking. The cartilage and tendons, when broken down, contain chondroitin and glucosamine, which are sold as supplements to ease arthritis and joint pain. So one pot of oxtail is more than a meal – it’s a tonic.

Most of my old recipes involve throwing the oxtail into a pot along with some onion, carrot and celery, then boiling it like billy-o for several hours. This is a much more gentle recipe and is delicious with mashed potato or kumara.

BRAISED OXTAIL

½ cup flour

1 tsp mustard powder

Salt and pepper, to season

1kg or 1 whole oxtail, cut

into pieces

1 tbsp butter or lard

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 onions, peeled and chopped

2 sticks celery, chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

3 pieces orange rind

2 cups red wine (the stronger

flavoured, the better)

1 Mix the flour with the mustard powder and some salt and pepper. Trim any large pieces of fat off the meat, then toss in the flour mixture.

2 In a metal roasting pan or casserole dish, melt the butter over the element. Brown the pieces of floured oxtail, then take off the heat and add the carrots, onions, celery and garlic cloves. Throw in the bay leaves and orange rind, then pour over the red wine.

3 Cover with a lid or foil and put in a 160°C oven. Cook for two hours, by which time the meat should be soft and gooey. If there is still quite a lot of liquid, take off the lid and put the dish on the element and simmer over medium heat to achieve a gravy-like consistency. Serve with mashed potato or kumara.