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Rabo encendido
Spicy braised oxtail
Rabo encendido: Cuban oxtail braised in a spicy tomato and red-wine sauce
Rabo encendido, "oxtail on fire", is the slow Saturday braise of central Cuba, cooked until the meat slips off the bones into a dark, glossy sauce of tomato, sweet pepper, red wine and a kick of hot chilli. It is eaten with white rice and fried ripe plantain to cool the heat. The wine cooks for hours, but if you want no alcohol at all, use extra beef stock with a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. The common mistake is serving it straight away with a layer of fat on top; skim it well, or chill overnight and lift the fat off. Chef's tip: dust the oxtail lightly in cornflour and brown it hard; the coating gives a better crust and thickens the sauce while keeping it gluten free.
- Total time
- 235 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 4 lb oxtailcut into pieces
- 2 tsp saltdivided
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onionschopped
- 1 red pepperchopped
- 6 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 hot chillifinely chopped (scotch bonnet for more heat)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 14 oz chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup dry red wineor 250 ml beef stock plus 1 tbsp red wine vinegar for alcohol-free
- 2 ½ cups beef stock
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Season 4 lb oxtail with half the 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper, then dust with 2 tbsp cornflour.
Step 2: Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a heavy 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 out.
20 minStep 3: Lower the heat and cook 2 onions and 1 red pepper for 8 minutes. Add 6 garlic cloves, 1 hot chilli, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp sweet paprika and 3 tbsp tomato purée and stir for 2 minutes.
10 minStep 4: Pour in 1 cup dry red wine and scrape up the browned bits, then add 14 oz chopped tomatoes, 2 ½ cups beef stock, 2 bay leaves and the rest of 1 tsp salt. Return the oxtail.
3 minStep 5: Cover and simmer very gently for 3 hours, turning the pieces now and then, until the meat falls from the bone when nudged with a fork.
180 minStep 6: Skim off the fat with a spoon. If the sauce is thin, boil uncovered for 10 minutes until it coats the meat. Serve with rice and plantain.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rabo encendido take?
- About 235 minutes in total: 25 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.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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