Oxtail stew with fettuccine

Was shopping for beef at the supermarket the other day when I came across some beautiful oxtail. I've never cooked it before, but I was suddenly feeling adventurous. "What's the worst that could happen?" I thought, so tonight I finally did it.

It was delicious!!!

Days before, I've been doing my homework and reading up on all sorts of recipe online. Including the original inspiration, Heston Blumenthal's oxtail and kidney pudding recipe. But it's so complex, not very realistic for a busy mommy of 2 kids. So i did a mash up of several different recipes I read and it turned out awesome.

Of course, I'm using my trusty pressure cooker which gives you the melt-in-your-mouth texture in only an hour. If you don't have one, I suggest you go buy one. Meanwhile, you can follow the steps accordingly,  just double the braising time.

500g oxtail
1 stick of celery
1 stick of carrot
1 large onion
1 clove of garlic
4 brown mushrooms
4 tablespoons of traditional pasta sauce from a jar
1 glass of red wine of your liking
2 cups of chicken stock
Thyme and a bay leaf
Salt and pepper

Additional vegetables: (to be added later)
Diced carrots and potatoes, cabbage and mushrooms

1. Season the oxtail with salt and pepper and brown them in hot oil. Set aside.
2. Using a food processor(save time!),  blend all the vegetables finely and stir fry them in the same pot with a pinch of salt.
3. Put the oxtail back on top of the veges and add in all other ingredients except the seasoning. Make sure the oxtail is just covered in liquid.
4. Stew in low heat for one hour, release pressure, add in rest of the vegetables, and stew for another 30mins.
5. Remove oxtail from stew and you should be able to tear the meat off the bone easily! Reduce stock if you like but note that the sauce would thicken further once cooled. Season accordingly.
6. Cook pasta according to instructions and ladle sauce and meat over noodles.

Enjoy!

*my pasta looks watery cause I was carrying my baby in the other arm while trying to get the pasta out of the pot of water :p