Of the many oxtail recipes I have cooked, this has to be the least successful. The sauce was good, though not remarkable, but the oxtails themselves were tough and difficult to eat. I am not sure if this was because of the poor quality oxtails I bought (I got them at a local Mexican butcher shop rather than the supermarket) or if my technique was faulty. The original recipe wasn't very detailed so I had to improvise. I did follow its instructions quite closely, though I only used 2 leeks rather than the 6 the original recipe asked for. Leeks are currently almost $4 a pound, and at 2 leeks per pound, that's all I could afford in good conscience.

All in all, I wouldn't make this recipe again. I served it with mashed potatoes.

---

Oxtails in Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients

Olive oil for frying

4 lbs oxtails, cut in pieces

3 onions, diced

4 green peppers, diced

2 leeks, diced

2 apples, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1 bay leaf

salt to taste

1 bottle red wine

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the oxtails and brown on all sides, remove from heat and set aside. Add the vegetables and apple and cook in medium heat until golden, stirring occasionally. Add the oxtails, the bay leaf and salt to taste. Add enough water to cover the oxtails, bring to a boil and then simmer for about one hour.

Remove the oxtails from the pot and set aside. Strain the broth, discarding the vegetables. Return the oxtails to the pot. Add the broth and the wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for another hour.

Adapted from Alberto López de Ipiña's recipe at the Sociedad Cultural y Gastronómica Zapardiel website