Scottish Oxtail Stew

From: kneadles@esosoft.com (Hugs) Trim the pieces of oxtail of excess fat, and put them in a saucepan. Pour in cold water to cover the oxtail pieces, and bring the water to simmering point. Drain, rinse the rather unpleasant scum off the pieces of oxtail and pat dry with kitchen paper. In a large flameproof casserole, heat 4 tbsp of oil and brown the pieces of oxtail all over, removing them to a warm dish as they brown. Heat the remaining oil in the casserole, add the chopped onions and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the chopped carrots, parsnips and turnip and cook for a further 5 minutes, then stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two before stirring in the water and wine, tomato paste, chopped garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the liquid come to simmering point, then replace the browned pieces of oxtail in the casserole, pushing them down into the liquid and vegetables. Cover the dish with a lid, and cook in a preheated low oven (3000F / 1500C / gas 2) for 3 hours. Take the casserole out of the oven, let it cool completely, and store it in the refrigerator until you want to serve it. Before serving, cook in a preheated moderate oven (3500F /1800C / gas 4) for a further hour. "Lady MacDonalds Scotland: The Best of Scottish Food & Drink" : by Claire MacDonald A Bullfinch Press Book by Little, Brown & Co., London ISBN = 0-8212-1809-3 Posted to recipelu-digest by jeryder@juno.com on Mar 14, 1998