Country Oxtails Dinner

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef oxtails
• 1 dash salt
• 1 dash freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 3/4 cups beef broth
• 1 cup (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 bay leaf, broken in half
• 6 cloves garlic, large ones cut in half
• 4 medium red potatoes, cut into quarters
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 4 ounces white button mushrooms, cut in half if large
• 1/2 sweet onion, cut into 6 wedges
• 1 cup snow peas, sugar snap peas, or green beans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Sprinkle the oxtails liberally with salt and pepper on both sides, then sprinkle with the flour.
3. Place a heavy oven-proof Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium heat.
4. When the pan is hot, coat the bottom with a thin layer of olive oil.
5. Brown the oxtails on all sides and remove to a platter. Do this in batches, if necessary, so as not to crowd the meat. You want browned oxtails, not gray, steamed oxtails.
6. Add the wine to the hot pan and boil for 2 minutes, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom.
7. Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, basil, bay leaf, and garlic. Stir to combine and return oxtails to the pan.
8. Turn to coat the oxtails with the liquid.
9. Cover tightly, place in the preheated oven, and bake for 2 hours.
10. Let cool.
11. Place oxtails in a container.
12. Pour gravy into a separate container.
13. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight for the gravy to firm up.
14. Skim fat from the top of the gravy .
15. Return gravy to the pot and reheat. Depending upon how thick it is, you may wish to add water to thin it a bit.
16. Add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, sweet onion wedges, red potatoes, and carrots to the pot.
17. Turn the vegetables to coat with the gravy.
18. Cover and cook on low until the potatoes are almost tender.
19. Return the oxtails to the pot with the vegetables and top with the snow peas .
20. Cover and simmer until oxtails are heated through. Serve oxtails with the vegetables and pan gravy.