TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Rabo de toroSpanish Oxtail Stew
Oxtail is braised with red wine and vegetables until the gelatinous tissue around the bones softens. Excess fat is removed from the braising liquid, which is blended into a smooth sauce for this main course.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- OxtailCut into crosswise sections.1500 g
- Onion400 g
- Carrot200 g
- Tomato300 g
- Garlic20 g
- Red wine500 ml
- Water600ml for braising and 100ml for adjustments.700 ml
- Olive oil60 ml
- Bay leaves2 leaves
- Salt10 g
- Black pepper1 g
Method
Prepare the oxtail and aromatic vegetables
- 1 Trim large pieces of excess fat from 1.5kg oxtail, pat dry and season with 6g salt and 1g pepper.
- 2 Cut 400g onion and 200g carrot into 1cm dice and thinly slice 20g garlic.
- 3 Grate 300g tomato, leaving the skin behind.
Ready when
Continue when the meat surface is dry and the vegetables are evenly sized.
Brown the oxtail and vegetables
- 1 Heat 60ml oil in a heavy pot over medium heat, brown the oxtail on all sides in 2 batches and remove.
- 2 Cook the onion, carrot and garlic in the same pot for 12 minutes.
- 3 Add the tomato and reduce for 5 minutes.
Ready when
Continue when the meat and onion are browned with no burnt smell.
Braise slowly with red wine
- 1 Return the meat, add 500ml red wine and boil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- 2 Add 600ml water, 2 bay leaves and 4g salt; leave the lid slightly ajar and simmer over low heat for 3 hours.
- 3 Turn the meat every 30 minutes; if the liquid falls below halfway up the meat, top up gradually from the 100ml adjustment water.
Ready when
Continue when the meat is tender enough to come away easily from the bones.
Turn the braising liquid into a smooth sauce
- 1 Remove the meat and bay leaves, and skim excess fat from the surface of the braising liquid.
- 2 Blend the remaining vegetables and liquid until smooth with a hand blender, then reduce over medium heat for 5–10 minutes.
- 3 Return the meat to warm through and serve in deep plates with the sauce.
Ready when
It is ready when the sauce coats the back of a spoon and the meat separates along its fibres.
About this dish
Rabo de toro is a braised oxtail dish long associated with Córdoba’s tabernas. In a city also known for its bullfighting tradition, it is presented as one of the local specialities.
The tabernas of the old town are places to gather as well as to eat. At El Pisto in San Miguel, braised oxtail and pisto are house specialities; the tourism board’s guide describes friends and regulars coming together over these dishes.
Braised oxtail is commonly served with potatoes. Tables set around the specialities of a taberna are among the places where Córdoba’s people gather.
Bring the full course home next weekend.
Bring every dish to the table at its best.
Choose the dishes you want to cook, and Chef Authen handles the shopping list and the day-of schedule. The Tabelia app turns everything from starter to main into one coordinated course in your kitchen.
- One shopping listBuilt automatically from your menu and any substitutions, ready to check off.
- One timelineEvery dish’s waiting and cooking time combined into a single schedule.
- Answers beyond the recipeFrom judging the heat to adapting on the fly, Chef Authen answers with concrete criteria, not guesses.