“This recipe revives a traditional and much underappreciated ingredient – oxtail, utilising its fulsome flavours whilst transforming its texture & appearance to nicely compliment the juicy succulence of the sirloin”, Mark says.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 480g piece of sirloin of beef (trimmed of all fat and sinew)
750g raw oxtail cut in to pieces
2l brown chicken or beef stock
4 eggs
100g plain flour
100g dried bread crumbs
1 carrot (roughly chopped)
1 stick of celery (roughly chopped)
½ onion (roughly chopped)
2 cloves garlic (peeled and sliced)
500g baby spinach (washed and drained)
500g button mushrooms
200g double cream
Method
Braised oxtail
Fry the oxtail in a little vegetable oil until golden then add the chopped vegetables & fry till golden. Place these ingredients in a roasting tray with the stock and cook in a preheated oven at 120C for 4 – 5 hours. When cooked (the meat should fall away from the bone when a little pressure is applied) remove the oxtails from the cooking juices and pick the meat from the bone while still warm.
Pass the cooking juices through a strainer and add a little back to the cooked meat to maintain moisture. Season the meat & juices with a little salt to taste, then roll the meat, using cling- film, into sausage shapes and place in the fridge for 2 hours (or overnight if preferred). Reserve the cooking juice to serve as sauce.
When the oxtail has set in the sausage shape cut into serving size pieces then roll through the seasoned flour, dip into beaten eggs and coat with breadcrumbs, ready for finishing.
Mushroom purée
Wash the mushrooms in cold water and drain. Quickly break the mushrooms into small pieces using the pulse function on a blender.
Place the mushroom pieces into a deep, heavy bottomed pan and dry fry for about 20 minutes until all the liquid disappears, then add the double cream and blend until smooth. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.
Sirloin
Cut the beef into 4 x 120g pieces and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Heat a heavy based oven proof frying pan. Add a little vegetable oil and seal the outside of the steaks until golden all over, then put into a preheated oven (180C) for about 6-8 minutes for medium rare, (medium 8 – 12). Remove from the heat and leave to rest for about 5 minutes.
To serve
Colour the coated oxtail in a little hot oil until golden, then place with the beef in the oven at 160C for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile heat the mushroom puree and wilt the spinach in a little butter. Season both to taste and arrange on warmed plates to serve, alongside the oxtail and sliced beef, which is drizzled with the oxtail cooking juices to finish. Creamed potato & roasted shallot makes the perfect accompaniment.
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