Oxtail & Creamy Samp
Ingredients
For the oxtail:
1kg oxtail
4 Tbs flour
Salt and pepper
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 carrots,
Peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
1 Tbs curry powder
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 Tbs sugar
1 glass red wine (optional)
3 cups beef stock
For the Samp:
2 cups dried Samp
2 cups boiling water for soaking
Cold water for cooking
2 bay leaves
Pinch saffron (or 1/2tsp turmeric)
60ml fresh cream
Salt to taste
Instructions
Heat oil in a pot, and then brown the oxtail in batches before removing from the pan and setting aside.
To the same pot, add onions, carrots, bay leaf and thyme then sauté until vegetables begin to soften and brown.
Add tomato paste and curry powder, then cook for a minute.
Add tinned tomatoes, sugar, wine and stock then bring to a simmer.
Return oxtail to the pot, then cover with a lid and simmer gently for 2 ½ hours or until the meat is tender.
Place the samp into a bowl, then pour over the boiling water and leave to stand and soak for 30 minutes. You can also soak the samp for 24 hours, using cold water.
Rinse the soaked samp, then place into a pot. Add the bay leaves, saffron (if using) and cover with cold water.
Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, checking halfway through to top up the water if necessary.
Give the samp a stir, the kernels will be softer, but not quite cooked through and the starch will have come out of the samp and thickened the mixture. Add more water to cover, then simmer for another 30 minutes.
Check if the samp is cooked through by tasting a few kernels (if they are tender, then it’s ready) or mash a few kernels with a fork, if they mash easily then the samp is cooked through.
Add the cream and season generously with salt then simmer for 5 minutes before serving.