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Ox Tail, with Matelote Sauce

Take a large fresh ox tail, disjoint it, cut it into pieces two inches long, and blanch these in boiling water for a quarter of an hour; then take them up, drain them, and soak them in cold water for three-quarters of an hour. Put them in a saucepan, cover them with broth or water, bring them to the boil, then simmer them gently for two hours. Take them up, strain the sauce, thicken three-quarters of a pint of it with a dessert-spoonful of flour and a little butter, add a dozen and a half of small fried onions, and a dozen button mushrooms (or, as a substitute, a table-spoonful of mushroom ketchup), a bunch of parsley, a small sprig of thyme and basil, a bay-leaf, and a little salt and pepper. Stew gently and skim carefully until the meat will part easily from the bones. Then add a pounded anchovy, a little grated nutmeg, and a glassful of claret. Boil up again, and serve the ox tail piled in the centre of a hot dish; garnish with toasted sippets, and strain the sauce over all. Time altogether, three hours and a half to stew the ox tail. Sufficient for three persons. Probable cost of ox tail, from 1s. 6d. to 4s.