It may officially be spring, but there’s no denying the nip that’s still lingering in the air. So, before we go full steam in summer, there’s still some time to sample some winter comfort food such as traditional oxtail with mash. Complement the meal with a bottle of good quality red wine.

I paired my meal with a Arniston Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2006 – the full bodied wine complements the dish and the hints of vanilla and chocolate is divine with the oxtail .

Ingredients
OXTAIL

cake flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2 kg oxtail, cut into pieces at the joints
25 ml sunflower oil
3 onions, halved and sliced
20 ml chopped garlic
2 x 410 g cans whole peeled tomatoes
50 g tomato paste
500 ml dry white wine
125 ml port
freshly chopped herbs to taste
MASHED POTATOES
800 g potatoes, peeled and cubed
30 ml butter
100 ml cream
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
OXTAIL
Spoon enough flour into a plastic bag to coat the oxtail, add the meat and shake until well coated.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and brown the meat all over.
Remove the meat from the saucepan and set aside.
Sauté the onions in the same pan until translucent.
Add the garlic and sauté for another two minutes.
Return the meat to the pan and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, port and herbs.
Mix well, cover and simmer over medium heat for four to six hours or until the meat falls off the bone.
Stir every 30 minutes, adding more wine if the dish becomes too dry.
MASHED POTATOES
Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft.
Drain and mash with a potato masher or press through a sieve.
Stir in the butter and cream and season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with fresh herbs.

Source: food24