Creative Block 5 with Cape-style slow braised oxtail in red wine
This saucy oxtail stew, infused with red wine, tomatoes, cinnamon, and cloves, offers the perfumed comfort of a Cape Tomato Bredie. It pairs beautifully with our Spier Creative Block 5, a Bordeaux-style blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine's blackberry, cherry, and blackcurrant notes complement the rich, meaty flavours of the oxtail, while hints of cedar and dark chocolate enhance the stew's depth. Recipe compliments of Spier.
Ingredients
45 ml (3 tablespoons) olive oil
About 2 kg oxtail, cut into chunks by your butcher
Salt and pepper, to taste
250 g streaky bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped into rough chunks
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly diced
3-4 large celery sticks, chopped into rough chunks
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced 250ml
1 cup good quality dry red wine
1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
30 ml (2 tablespoons) tomato purée
500 ml (2 cups) good quality beef stock/broth
1 stick cinnamon
1 ml (¼ teaspoon) ground cloves
For the gremolata and to serve:
A generous bunch of parsley (20-40g), finely chopped
Finely grated zest of 1-2 lemons
1 garlic clove, finely grated or finely chopped
Freshly cooked pap, rice, potatoes or pasta to serve (choose your favourite)
Method
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and fry the oxtail on at least two sides until lightly brown, working in batches. Season with salt and pepper as you go, and don't overcrowd the pot. Transfer the browned meat batches to a large plate, then stir the bacon, onion, carrot and celery. Cover the pot with a lid for a few minutes, allowing steam to loosen the browned bits on the bottom, and stir well. Continue to fry the bacon and vegetables for about 7-10 minutes, or until the bacon starts to brown and the onions soften. Add the garlic and stir. By now, there should be a new brown sticky residue on the bottom – that's perfect. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the pot. Add the tomatoes, purée, stock, cinnamon and cloves, stir and bring to a simmer. Return the meat to the pot, arranging it in a single layer to immerse the chunks in the liquid fully. Turn the heat to a simmer, then cover with a lid and cook for about 4 hours or until the meat is very tender and almost falls from the bone here and there (you don't want to cook it from the bone). Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Leave to rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve hot with your choice of starch and a sprinkle of gremolata.
For the gremolata:
Mix the parsley, lemon zest, and garlic together in a small bowl. If you prefer, leave it to stand on the counter for an hour or two to dry out slightly. Serve it at room temperature as a condiment with the stew.
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The Citizen
28-05-2025
- The Citizen
Creative Block 5 with Cape-style slow braised oxtail in red wine
This saucy oxtail stew, infused with red wine, tomatoes, cinnamon, and cloves, offers the perfumed comfort of a Cape Tomato Bredie. It pairs beautifully with our Spier Creative Block 5, a Bordeaux-style blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine's blackberry, cherry, and blackcurrant notes complement the rich, meaty flavours of the oxtail, while hints of cedar and dark chocolate enhance the stew's depth. Recipe compliments of Spier. Ingredients 45 ml (3 tablespoons) olive oil About 2 kg oxtail, cut into chunks by your butcher Salt and pepper, to taste 250 g streaky bacon, chopped 1 large onion, chopped into rough chunks 2 large carrots, peeled and roughly diced 3-4 large celery sticks, chopped into rough chunks 4-5 garlic cloves, sliced 250ml 1 cup good quality dry red wine 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes 30 ml (2 tablespoons) tomato purée 500 ml (2 cups) good quality beef stock/broth 1 stick cinnamon 1 ml (¼ teaspoon) ground cloves For the gremolata and to serve: A generous bunch of parsley (20-40g), finely chopped Finely grated zest of 1-2 lemons 1 garlic clove, finely grated or finely chopped Freshly cooked pap, rice, potatoes or pasta to serve (choose your favourite) Method Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and fry the oxtail on at least two sides until lightly brown, working in batches. Season with salt and pepper as you go, and don't overcrowd the pot. Transfer the browned meat batches to a large plate, then stir the bacon, onion, carrot and celery. Cover the pot with a lid for a few minutes, allowing steam to loosen the browned bits on the bottom, and stir well. Continue to fry the bacon and vegetables for about 7-10 minutes, or until the bacon starts to brown and the onions soften. Add the garlic and stir. By now, there should be a new brown sticky residue on the bottom – that's perfect. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the pot. Add the tomatoes, purée, stock, cinnamon and cloves, stir and bring to a simmer. Return the meat to the pot, arranging it in a single layer to immerse the chunks in the liquid fully. Turn the heat to a simmer, then cover with a lid and cook for about 4 hours or until the meat is very tender and almost falls from the bone here and there (you don't want to cook it from the bone). Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Leave to rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve hot with your choice of starch and a sprinkle of gremolata. For the gremolata: Mix the parsley, lemon zest, and garlic together in a small bowl. If you prefer, leave it to stand on the counter for an hour or two to dry out slightly. Serve it at room temperature as a condiment with the stew.
IOL News
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Mushroom and cheese galette. Image: Supplied The heart of every home is often found in the kitchen, a space where creativity and flavour collide. As we embrace the changing seasons, it's the perfect time to explore new recipe ideas that inspire culinary adventures. Today, we delve into an array of dishes that bring flavours, spotlighting inventive ingredient combinations and techniques to rekindle your love for cooking. Mashed potato crumpets. Image: Supplied Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Mashed potato crumpets Serves: 6 Ingredients 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 3 tbsp margarine Salt and pepper 7 eggs ¾ cup cheddar, grated Small handful of chives, finely chopped + extra 1½ cups cake flour Sunflower oil, for cooking Tomato chilli jam, to serve Method Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for about 15 minutes or until soft. Mash with the margarine. Season with salt and pepper. Cool. Combine 3 cups mashed potatoes with 1 of the eggs, cheddar, chives and ¾ cup of the flour. Roll the mixture into 6 balls and flatten into 1 cm-thick patties. Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish and coat each crumpet in the flour. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the crumpets, in batches, for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Drain on paper towel-lined plates. Wipe the pan clean and heat another splash of oil on medium heat. 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Image: Supplied Mushroom and cheese galette Serves: 6-8 Ingredients Pastry 175g flour 1 tsp sea salt flakes 120g cold butter, cut into small cubes 70g sour cream 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 60ml ice-cold water Mushroom filling 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary 500g mixed cultivated mushrooms, sliced 150g grated Havarti or Gruyère cheese A handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half Salt and pepper, to taste 1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk for egg wash Method For the pastry Pulse flour and salt together in a food processor to mix. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Whisk together sour cream and lemon juice, add and pulse. Slowly drizzle in just enough ice water until a soft dough is formed. Knead dough into a ball and then flatten into a disk. Wrap very well in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour. 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Frans K. Smit with pork Wellington with red wine sauce
Pork fillet becomes a shining star in this celebratory, hearty dish. Prepare the rolled log (and sauce) ahead, then just stick it in the oven 30 minutes before dinner time. Recipe compliments of Spier. Note: The smaller circumference of a pork fillet compared to a beef fillet comes in handy when you want to serve this as a lighter meal or an elegant starter. Otherwise, just serve multiple slices per person as a hearty main. Ingredients Serves: 4 30 ml butter 1 shallot, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 250 g brown mushrooms, finely chopped 2 sprigs thyme 10 ml (2 teaspoons) soy sauce salt & pepper 600-700 g pork fillet 15 ml olive oil 15 ml Dijon mustard about 70 g finely sliced prosciutto 500 g puff pastry, thawed 1 egg, whisked, for brushing For the red wine sauce: 4-6 medium floury potatoes 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive/canola oil salt Method Prepare the mushroom layer: Over medium heat in a wide pan, add the butter and fry the shallot & garlic until soft and golden. Add the mushrooms (use a food processor for easy chopping) and thyme, then fry until they release their water and become reduced and darker, stirring often. Add the soy sauce and season with salt & pepper. Mix well and set aside to cool. Prepare the fillet: On the tapered end of the fillet, make an incision about 5 cm from the end (but not all the way through) and fold the thin end over towards the thicker part to form a log of equal thickness. Use a piece of cotton string to tie the 'flap' neatly, then sear the fillet for about 30 seconds on all 4 sides in a very hot pan with some oil. Remove from the pan, then rub all over with Dijon mustard. Assemble the Wellington: On a clean working surface, lay out a sheet of cling wrap. Top with a single layer of prosciutto the width of the fillet, slightly overlapping. Now spread out the prepared mushrooms all over the prosciutto in a thin layer, using a soft spatula. Place the prepared fillet on one end of the layers, then carefully roll up the log, removing the cling wrap as you go. Cover the neatly rolled log tightly with cling wrap all over and refrigerate until ready to cook. Cook the Wellington: Preheat the oven to 200 C. Just before cooking, unroll the puff pastry on a clean working surface. Remove the plastic wrap from the fillet roll, then place the roll on the wide edge of the pastry and roll up neatly, tucking in the seams on the bottom and sides of the roll. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Use a sharp small knife to score the pastry, then brush all over with egg. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with your choice of vegetables and/or sides.
