Instructions: Preheat oven to 150C/gas 2. Trim oxtail pieces of excess fat and wash the meat. Toss in seasoned flour and shake off any excess. Melt some butter in a heavy bottomed pan or frying pan. Add oxtail - sear brown on all sides. Remove oxtail with slotted spoon to deep ovenproof casserole.

Peel and roughly chop vegetables, add to pan and brown in butter. Add vegetables to oxtail in casserole. Add port to pan. Reduce until sticky, stirring constantly to scrape up crusty meat sediment from pan.

Gradually add wine to pan and bring to the boil. Boil hard for about 10 minutes to drive off alcohol. Add stock, cinnamon, bay.

peppercorns, thyme, salt & pepper. Return to boil. Add to oxtail casserole.

Cover with lid and cook in pre-heated oven for 31/2-4 hours, until meat is falling from bones.

Remove oxtail from casserole with slotted spoon and keep hot. Strain casserole juices into clean pan, pressing vegetables well with back of ladle or draining spoon to extract all possible flavour. At this point the casserole could be refrigerated overnight to allow fat to solidify, and then be removed. Re-heat oxtail and sauce.

Bring sauce to boil and season to taste. Skin off as much fat as possible. Sauce should be deep in colour, rich and unctuous.

Serve oxtail with sauce poured over and with mashed potatoes.

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