Traditional Spanish recipe with beef, wine and extra virgin olive oil
Whenever I get the chance to eat this in Spain, I love it. Rabo de Toro is a classic Spanish stew that originated in Andalusia, particularly in cities like Cordoba and Seville. This authentic Spanish recipe is rich in flavor, easy to prepare, and a wonderful example of how extra virgin olive oil forms the foundation of Spanish cuisine. Whenever I get the chance to eat this in Spain, I love it.
The dish is slowly simmered with vegetables and wine until the meat is so tender it falls off the bone. The sauce is deep, aromatic, and full of flavor – a real treat for lovers of traditional Spanish recipes .
Originally, this was a dish of humble origins, made with the tail of the bull left over after bullfights. Nowadays, oxtail or veal tail is usually used, as genuine bull meat is difficult to find.
We prepared this dish in a Crockpot slow cooker, but it also works very well in a Dutch oven. If you have leftovers (which is almost impossible), consider making bitterballen with them. Also very delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 oxtail or veal tail (cut into pieces)
- 1 onion
- 1 leek
- 3 to 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 to 3 carrots
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 glass of red wine
- 2 glasses of beef broth
- Salty
- 1 bay leaf
- Freshly ground black pepper
- A little flour to lightly dust the oxtail
- Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
1. Prepare the meat
Have the butcher clean and cut the oxtail into pieces. Season with salt and pepper, lightly coat the pieces with flour, and then fry them in a large pan with extra virgin olive oil until golden brown. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
2. Baking vegetables
Finely chop the garlic, onion, leek, carrots, and red bell pepper. Add them to the same pan and sauté them over medium heat in the remaining olive oil until they begin to brown.
3. Stew with wine and stock
Return the meat pieces to the pan, pour in the wine and stock, and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 3 to 4 hours, covered.
We prepared this recipe in the Crockpot slow cooker and let it cook on low heat for 6 hours.
The Rabo de Toro is ready when the meat is so tender that it falls off the bone naturally. Add a little more stock if it becomes too dry.
4. Reduce sauce
When the meat is cooked through, increase the heat and let the sauce reduce slightly until it's rich and concentrated. We used the crockpot on high for an hour.
You can leave the vegetables in for a rustic texture, or puree the sauce with an immersion blender for a smooth result. We added a little cornstarch to help it bind better.
5. Serving
Serve the Rabo de Toro with fried potatoes, fries, or Ajoatao , fried until golden brown in extra virgin olive oil from Spain. The combination of the soft, gelatinous sauce and crispy potatoes makes this dish irresistible.
Buen provecho!
Tip from the Andalusian cuisine
For this dish use a strong early harvest Spanish olive oil , for example:
These oils give the dish its characteristic depth and a slightly fruity bitterness, typical of Andalusian cuisine.
