Traditional Spanish recipe with beef, wine and extra virgin olive oil
Whenever I get the chance to eat this in Spain, I love to. Rabo de Toro is a classic Spanish stew that originates from Andalusia, especially in cities like Córdoba and Seville. This authentic Spanish recipe is rich in flavour, easy to prepare, and a beautiful 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 to.
The dish is slow-cooked with vegetables and wine until the meat is so tender it falls off the bone. The sauce becomes deep, aromatic, and full of flavour – 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 calf's tail is usually used, as real bull meat is hard to find.
We prepared this dish in a Crockpot slow cooker, but it can also be made very well in a Dutch oven. If you have any leftovers (which is unlikely), consider making bitterballen (Dutch croquettes) with them. Also very delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 oxtail or calf's 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
- Salt
- 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 dredge the pieces in 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. Fry 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 start to colour.
3. Simmer with wine and broth
Add the meat pieces back to the pan, pour in the wine and broth, and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for 3 to 4 hours with the lid on the pan.
We prepared this recipe in a Crockpot slow cooker and let it cook for 6 hours on the low setting.
The Rabo de Toro is ready when the meat is so tender that it easily comes off the bone. If it gets too dry, add a little extra broth.
4. Reduce the sauce
When the meat is cooked, increase the heat and slightly reduce the sauce until it is rich and concentrated. We set the Crockpot on high for about an hour.
You can leave the vegetables for a rustic texture, or purée the sauce with an immersion blender for a smooth result. We added a little cornflour to help it thicken.
5. Serve
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 soft, gelatinous sauce and crispy potatoes makes this dish irresistible.
Buen provecho!
Tip from Andalusian cuisine
For this dish, use a robust Spanish olive oil from an early harvest, for example:
These oils give the dish its characteristic depth and a slightly fruity bitterness, typical of Andalusian cuisine.
