Oxtail and beef shin stew   
Oxtail and shin of beef, when treated well, have to be some of the most flavoursome cuts of meat around. So why is there not a recipe to be seen without a ton of onions? De-frothing the oxtail may seem like an awful chore, but it really is worth it.

1¼ lbs oxtail (4 decent sized chunks)
1¼ lbs shin of beef
Carrots, celery, potatoes
1 pint good beef or vegetable stock
Mixed herbs, dried or fresh; black pepper, salt, a clove of garlic
Red wine

First, soak the oxtail in cold well-salted water for 2 hours, to draw the excess blood out. Rinse it off, place in a saucepan of cold water, and slowly bring it up to the boil. Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, skimming off the scum that forms, at least until the scum appears white, rather than grey. Discard the water, run the chunks of oxtail under the cold tap, and scrub them. They're now ready for cooking.

Place the oxtail in a large casserole. Chop the shin of beef into large chunks (1½ inches at least) and roll them in flour and a sprinkle of fresh-ground black pepper. Heat some oil in a frying pan; get it very hot, and put the beef in a small handful at a time. Keep it moving, and turn it to sear and brown it all over. Add the chunks of meat to the casserole.

Roughly chop the carrot, potatoes and celery, crush the clove of garlic with the blade of a knife, and add them. Add the stock, a teaspoon of dried herbs or a small handful of fresh, and a slosh of red wine, and pack the ingredients down quite tight. Top up with a little more stock if need be, so the level of the liquid is visible. Gently bring the casserole up to a simmer, and skim off any further scum that might rise, then heat your oven to about 160°C, place the lid on the casserole and leave it in there for 3 - 4 hours. About the final half hour, check the seasoning, and add salt and pepper if required. If you can, leave it to cool, put it in the fridge overnight, and lift some of the fat off, before warming through and serving it the next day, with your favourite vegetables.

This has the honour of being quite the solidest stew I've seen; when cold, whacking it with a heavy spoon produces no effect whatsoever.