Wine-braised oxtail - One Pan Roasts by Molly Shuster

Wine-braised oxtail from One Pan Roasts by Molly Shuster (image appears courtesy Murdoch Books)

Oh goodie. According to the weather channel, "a polar blast is gripping southeastern Australia today." We've been warned to expect low level snow, thunderstorms, blizzard-like conditions, damaging winds, hail and freezing temperatures. Wot?! This is what happens when you spend summer in Hungary, and then arrive home gleefully thinking you've dodged much of the winter chill.

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With comfort food in mind, I'd like to showcase One Pan Roasts, which was published in June by the good folks at Murdoch Books. While the concept of baking a meal in a single pan is not necessarily a new idea, I must say that One Pan Roasts is one of the smartest cookbooks I've seen in a while.

Author, Molly Shuster, a freelance food stylist, writer and recipe developer from New York City, reminds us that getting a healthy home-cooked meal on the table at dinnertime isn't always the easiest thing to do after a long day at work. Thanks to a handful of ingredients, a single baking tray and the versatile power of the oven, you can put together a delicious meal without too much work or hassle. 

You'll find recipes for poultry and meat; seafood; vegetables; desserts, snacks and appetisers; together with simple sides and sauces. Standout dishes include the wine-braised oxtail that I'm sharing here; together with braised lamb shanks and Israeli couscous; prawn panzanella; seared tuna and mushrooms; stuffed baby pumpkins; tray beans; quinoa-stuffed zucchini; and red vegetable curry. In the desserts, I'm loving the look and sound of the peach custard tart made with frozen puff pastry.

Aside from creating such delicious meals, perhaps the best part of cooking in the one pan is that there is limited washing up. For me, that's a real winner. Peter loves this dish as well, which means "Win-Win". Happy roasting.

WINE-BRAISED OXTAIL
2kg oxtail
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
550ml dry red wine
400g carrots, cut into short pieces, halved
400g can chopped tomatoes 
1 onion, chopped
few rosemary sprigs, leaves chopped
few thyme sprigs, leaves chopped
 
Position rack about 12cm from grill and preheat grill. Place oxtail in small roasting tin, season and grill for 8–10 minutes until well browned on both sides. Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas 3.

Add remaining ingredients to roasting tin and stir together. Cover with foil and bake for 3–4 hours or until meat is tender and falling off bone. Using a fork, shred meat off bones and check seasoning.
If not serving immediately, cool to room temperature, then chill, ideally overnight. Spoon hardened fat off top and discard.
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Reheat before serving with Silky Mashed Potatoes (the recipe is on page 150 of the book), Creamy Polenta (the recipe is on page 152 of the book) or Classic Risotto (the recipe is on page 153 of the book). Serves 4

Molly Shuster author of One Pan Roasts (image appears courtesy Murdoch Books)

One Pan Roasts by Molly Shuster (cover image appears courtesy Murdoch Books)

NB: Cover photo of the book, image of the wine-braised oxtail, author image, and the recipe (which is from pages 30-31 of One Pan Roasts by Molly Shuster) appear courtesy of Murdoch Books.

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So, tell me dear readers, how's the weather in your part of the world. Do you like oxtail? And do you love the concept of one pan roasts?