AI-generated image
Rabo de toro
Red wine braised oxtail
Rabo de toro: Córdoba's oxtail slowly braised in red wine until it falls off the bone
Córdoba claims rabo de toro as its own, and its taverns near the Mezquita serve it all year, though it is most at home on a cold winter Sunday. Once it was made with the tails of bulls from the ring; now it is beef or veal oxtail, browned and braised for hours in red wine with vegetables until the meat slips off the bone into a glossy, sticky sauce. This recipe uses wine; the alcohol-free option is in the ingredient list. Chef's tip: make it a day ahead, chill it and lift off the set fat; the sauce is cleaner and the flavour deeper.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 4 lb oxtailcut into pieces at the joints
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 onionschopped
- 2 carrotssliced
- 1 leeksliced
- 1 red pepperchopped
- 5 cloves garlicsliced
- 2 ripe tomatoesgrated
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 cups red winealcohol-free: 450 ml beef stock plus 50 ml red grape juice and 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 2 cups beef stock
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cloves
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Season 4 lb oxtail with 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and dust with 3 tbsp plain flour.
Step 2: Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the oxtail in batches for 8–10 minutes per batch, until deep brown on all sides. Lift onto a plate.
20 minStep 3: Lower the heat to medium and add 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1 leek, 1 red pepper and 5 cloves garlic. Cook for 12–15 minutes, scraping the brown bits from the base, until soft and golden.
15 minStep 4: Stir in 2 ripe tomatoes and 1 tsp sweet paprika and cook for 5 minutes until the tomato darkens and thickens.
5 minStep 5: Pour in 2 cups red wine and boil for 5 minutes, until the smell of alcohol has gone and it has reduced a little.
5 minStep 6: Return the oxtail with its juices, add 2 cups beef stock, 2 bay leaves, 3 sprigs fresh thyme and 2 cloves; the liquid should almost cover the meat. Cover and simmer very gently, or cook in the oven at 325°F (275°F fan), for 3 hours.
180 minStep 7: Check from 2½ hours: it is ready when the meat pulls away from the bone with a fork. A common mistake is stopping too soon; undercooked oxtail is chewy and the sauce stays thin.
Step 8: Lift out the oxtail. Remove the bay, thyme and cloves, then blend the vegetables and sauce until smooth, or pass them through a food mill. Spoon off the fat. If the sauce is thin, boil it until it coats a spoon.
10 minStep 9: Return the oxtail to the sauce and warm through until piping hot. Serve with chips or mashed potatoes.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 680 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rabo de toro take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 210 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Arroz con pitu de caleyaSoupy rice with chicken
A pitu de caleya is a cockerel raised free in the lanes, or caleyas, of rural Asturias; its firm, flavourful meat needs long stewing, and families around Villaviciosa and Grado still cook it for feast days. The stew is often finished as a soupy rice, so the deep chicken juices go into every grain. Use the best free-range chicken you can find. The braise includes dry white wine; replace it with extra stock and a squeeze of lemon if you want it alcohol-free. Chef's tip: brown the chicken slowly and deeply; that colour is where the flavour of the whole pot comes from.
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German