Slow Cooked Oxtail with Ale

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg oxtail (cut into segments)
• vegetable oil for frying
• 25gm seasoned flour, mixed with 1 tsp English mustard powder
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 medium carrot, sliced
• 2 inner sticks celery, sliced
• 1 medium parsnip, diced roughly (or Jerusalem artichoke)
• 2 bay leaf
• about 6  chestnuts (roasted and peeled)
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 600ml ale
• salt and black pepper

Method

Coat oxtail pieces in seasoned flour, brown quickly on all sides in the hot oil, remove with a slotted spoon to a casserole. Adding a little more oil as necessary, fry the vegetables for 2 minutes and distribute them in the gaps between the meat. Add bay leaf, chestnuts, thyme and mild, cover and cook in the bottom of a very slow oven ( 150ºC) for 4-5 hours or even longer, until the meat is utterly tender and the stock has a marvellous dark sheen and spicy aroma, with salt and plenty of black pepper.

Serve with fresh bread or mashed potato.