Spring Pea Risotto Braised Oxtail Confit Onion

Pea Risotto Ingredients  

• 1 recipe pea purée  
• 1 recipe braised oxtail  
• 1 each white onion, diced  
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated  
• 50ml olive oil  
• 200g Arborio rice  
• 150ml white wine  
• 1500ml Chicken Stock  
• 60g Parmesan – freshly grated  
• 1 each lemon – for juicing  
• 100g unsalted butter – cubed  
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Baby Onion Ingredients 

• 20 ea. baby onions  
• 150 ml olive oil / sunflower oil  
• 8 sprig thyme  
• 2 cloves garlic   
• 1 pinch salt & black pepper 

Braised Oxtail Directions

1. Generously season the flour, and lightly dust the oxtail. Making sure you heavily bang off any excess flour. 
2. Heat a thick based frying pan to medium heat and brown the meat to a golden-brown colour. 
3. Once Browned, remove from the pan and reserve on a plate on the side. 
4. Finely dice the onions, carrots, garlic and celery to equal size, almost resembling mince. 
5. Sauté in the same thick based frying pan with a little olive oil, add the bay leaf, star anise and about a third of the fresh herbs. 
6. When the vegetables are well wilted, translucent and sweet without burning, deglaze with whole cherry tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. 
7. Cook till they all burst, become all sticky and liquid has cooked away. Deglaze with red wine. 
8. Reduce wine by 50%, and all alcohol is cooked out. 
9. Add browned oxtail, peppercorns, salt, stocks, thyme and any meat juices rendered from browning. 
10. Slowly bring to the simmer and skim off any scum that rises to the surface and discard. 
11. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, making sure the meat is covered in liquid, wrapped in foil and slowly braise in the oven at 140℃ for about 5 hours or until the meat is soft, juicy and breaking to the touch. 
12. Allow all ingredients to cool together and refrigerate overnight in the same cooking vessel, making sure there is enough air around the tray to cool sufficiently. 
13.  Next day, slightly heat the tray, and carefully spoon out the meat, reserving for later. 
14. Slowly flake the oxtail into small chunks making sure to discard all bones and cartilage, reserve in an appropriate size bowl to finish later. 
15. Strain the sauce that you have created through a fine sieve and reduce on a slow simmer, taking care on skimming any scum that floats to the top and adds the last bit of thyme. 
16.  Reduce the sauce down by 4/5, making sure it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pot. The sauce should be at a lovely velvety texture 
17. Adjust the Seasoning to preference, adding a squirt of fresh lemon juice and thyme, and fold through the picked oxtail meat. 

Pea Risotto Directions

1. In a medium saucepan on a low heat, sweat the onion in the olive oil with a pinch of salt for 2 minutes, until translucent.  
2. Add the garlic.  
3. Stir in the rice and continue to cook on a low heat for 3 minutes, until the grains of rice appear shiny.  
4. Pour in the white wine, then the 350ml of chicken stock, stir and bring to the gentlest simmer.  
5. Continuously stir the risotto over a low heat adding a ladle of stock every 5 minutes or as needed to create a thick wet consistency. The key is to keep the rice moist but not flooded.  
6. After about 20 minutes pick up a grain of rice. You will see a tiny speck of white starch in the middle – this means the risotto is nearly cooked.  
7. Once you reach this point, beat the rice a little bit faster for two minutes and turn off the heat.  
8. Add your cubed butter and grated parmesan across your risotto cover with the lid and allow to stand for 4 minutes.  
9. Remove the lid and gently stir the risotto to emulsify the butter and parmesan together with the rice.  
10. Stir in 200ml of the cooled pea purée, which will revive the color and add freshness to the risotto.  
11.  Taste and correct the seasoning, and spoon into serving bowls.  
12. Dress the top of the risotto with the braised oxtail, and garnish with the fresh peas, radishes, baby onions and shoots. Lastly add 3-4 parmesan curls on top of the risotto and serve.   

Baby Onions Directions 

1. Peel the baby onions, keeping them whole with a little bit of root on to hold them together 
2. Cover with oil and aromatics, and confit at 140℃ for about 45 min till soft but holding.