Oxtail is one of the best comfort food dishes for me, especially when it’s cold outside.

I won’t even be a little bit humble about this recipe. It’s the absolute best, most delicious, fall-off-the-bone, lip-smacking, damn amazing oxtail I’ve ever had. My secret ingredient? Black olives.

Who’s hungry? This recipe can feed 4 people.

Ingredients

• 1,4 kg oxtail
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbsp sundried tomato pesto
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 2 tsp meat spice
• 6 carrots, cut into chunks
• 6 potatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 tsp dried mixed herbs (rosemary, thyme, oreganum, parsley)
• 200 ml red wine
• 250 ml beef stock
• 250 ml water
• 1 pinch mild curry powder
• 100 g drained black Mission olives (or any black olives)
• 1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• salt & pepper

Let’s cook

Spice the meat and sauté it in ghee with the onion slices and tomato pesto.

After about 10 minutes, deglaze with red wine. Then add the stock and water and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring as needed.

Add the carrots, green peppers and potatoes.

Add the curry powder and herbs and stir well.

Let it cook with the lid on for 45 mins on medium heat.

Add the olives and fresh coriander and let it simmer without the lid for 20 mins.

As soon as the carrots and potatoes are cooked, remove them from the pot.

Let the meat cook and soften to form its own saucy gravy for another 45 mins to an hour with the lid on.
Add a little more water or wine if necessary and stir as needed.

Just look at that rich, chunky sauce. Yum!

Once the meat is as tender as you like it (it could take another half hour, be patient), add the potatoes and carrots back to the pot and stir through.

Add salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Hungry yet? Dig in!

Doesn’t it look divine?

Dish up with a helping of rice.

Here’s the short version