Loving Stews

When I have to cook for many, the best thing I find is to cook a stew or something that I can put in the pot and walk away. The other beautiful thing about stews is the way they make your house smell. The way the smell seeps from your kitchen and permeates your house, the first whiff you get when you walk through the front door is an amuse bouche in itself. Stewing also often uses cheap cuts of meats which mean that it is economical and often these cuts have more flavour and if you stew it long enough they fall of the bone and melt in your mouth. The other thing I love about stews is that it is great for the lazy gourmet: you can make a huge pot and keep the rest of it for some other day and the flavour gets better and better. Stews, we love you.



Braised East-West Oxtail Stew
Serves 4-6

1.5kg oxtail
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons finely slices shallots
2 tablespoons coarsely shopped garlic
750g tinned tomatoes
250 ml homemade chicken stock
3 tablespoons shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons finely chopped orange zest
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground five-pepper mixture or black pepper
Sprigs of fresh coriander to garnish

Directions:

In a large pan, cook the oxtail in boiling water for 20 minutes. Remove and drain well.

Heat a wok or large frying-pan until it is hot. Add the groundnut oil and slowly brown the oxtail on all sides. Remove the oxtail with a slotted spoon and pour off and discard the excess fat. Now add the olive oil, onions, shallots and garlic and stir fry the mixture for about 3 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, stock, the rice wines, orange zest, hoisin, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover tightly and cook for 3 hours, or until the oxtail pieces are tender.

Skim off any fat, garnish with coriander sprigs.