- 1kg/2lb 4oz oxtail, cut into 2.5cm/1in thick pieces, trimmed of any excess fat
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 50g/2oz flour, plus extra for dusting the oxtail
- 60g/2½oz; butter, plus extra for the carrots
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp tomato purée
- 100ml/3½fl oz red wine
- 2 litres/3½ pints beef stock (or 2 good quality beef stock cubes, dissolved in 2 litres/3½ pints hot water
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- ½ tsp English mustard
- 3 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
- handful pea shoots
- handful small salad and herb leaves (for example, silver sorrel, bittercress, amaranth, corn salad or baby spinach)
- 60g/2½oz (shelled weight) fresh peas, boiled
- 80-100g/3-4oz (shelled weight) fresh broad beans, boiled
- Preheat the oven to 220C/400F/Gas 7.
- For the oxtail, season the pieces of oxtail with salt and freshly ground black pepper and lightly dust them with a little flour.
- Place the oxtail into a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, turning the oxtail pieces after 15 minutes to make sure they are nicely coloured on both sides.
- Meanwhile melt the butter in a pan over a low heat and gently cook the onion, garlic and thyme for 3-4 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.
- Add the flour and the tomato purée and stir well.
- Gradually pour in the red wine and stock, stirring well between additions to avoid lumps forming, then bring the mixture to the boil.
- Add the pieces of roasted oxtail to the pan, then cover and simmer gently over a low heat for about two hours. Check the pieces of oxtail – the meat should be tender and easily removed from the bone. If not, replace the lid and cook for another 15 minutes and test again.
- Drain the oxtail into a colander over a bowl to reserve the sauce.
- When the oxtail is cool enough to handle, remove the pieces of meat from the bone and place into a clean saucepan and cover with the reserved sauce. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has reduced enough to just coat the meat.
- Meanwhile, for the dressing, whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a clean bowl and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- For the salad, place the pea shoots, salad and herb leaves, peas and broad beans into a bowl and cover with most of the dressing. Mix well to coat and arrange a little salad in the centre of each serving plate.
- To serve, spoon a little of the warm oxtail meat around the salad with a small amount of sauce just coating the meat, then spoon a little of the remaining dressing over the oxtail.