Andalusian style bull’s tail

ingredients - info bull’s tail onions carrots leek garlic canned tomatoes tomato concentrate meat stock

brandy red wine thyme rosemary parsley stalks bay leaf plain flour olive oil pepper and salt

Rabo de Toro, bull's tail from Andalusia. It can also be prepared with oxtail. Or even with veal shank. That is different from the original, but with that, you have more meat on your plate in proportion to the bone. This recipe with bull's tail originates from Madrid. It is mostly eaten on and around 15 May, San Isidro, a local Madrid holiday. As a tourist, you can almost certainly find it on the menu in the restaurants around 'Las Ventas', which is the biggest bullfighting arena in all of Spain.

Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper. Rub it in with a mixture of flour, pepper and salt. Shake off the excess flour. Sear the pieces of meat in a pan with olive oil until brown all over. Place them in a deep casserole. Cut a couple of onions into halves, a whole leek into rings and a scraped carrot into cubes. Peel half a bulb of garlic cloves and crush them. Fry the onion and garlic in oil for a few minutes and then add the diced carrot and leek. Let the vegetables stew for about ten minutes. Then spoon them over the meat. Make a bouquet garni from thyme, rosemary, parsley stems and bay leaf and put it in the pot with the rest.

Add a tin of diced tomatoes, a tin of tomato concentrate, meat stock, red wine and a shot glass of Spanish brandy. The meat should be completely submerged. Bring the preparation to the boil and then leave to simmer on a gentle heat for a few hours. The stew is ready when the meat is tender and almost falls off the bone. Scoop the meat out of the casserole. Reduce the sauce on medium heat and puree it. Add the meat back in and keep the preparation warm until serving. You can serve the rabo de toro with patatas bravas, (fried potatoes) or with rice. Serve with a fresh salad if you like.