Entertain at home: Slow-cooked oxtail in red wine and jerepigo

Serves 6

You’ll need: 1.5kg oxtail pieces; 2 Tbsp vegetable oil; 2 onions, chopped; 2 carrots, peeled and sliced; 2 celery sticks, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tsp dried rosemary; 5 fresh bay leaves; 2 tsp dried mixed herbs; 200ml Swartland Red Jerepigo; 1 x tin chopped tomatoes; 1 bottle (750 ml) Swartland Winemaker’s Collection Dry Red; 1 x 55g packet Oxtail Soup powder; freshly ground salt and pepper to taste; a handful of fresh parsley, chopped

How to: 

Preheat the oven to 160°C if cooking in the oven.

Heat the oil in a large oven-proof pot and brown the oxtail briefly. Remove and set aside.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and herbs and sauté until softened and fragrant. Add Red Jerepigo and simmer for 2 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the soup powder together with the tomatoes and red wine.

Add the wine mixture to the pot and bring to a boil. Place the meat back into the pot, and bring to the boil again. Cover and cook for 4 ½ – 5 hours.

Add chopped parsley.

Serve with traditional soet patats (sliced sweet potato, cooked slowly on the stove in butter, turmeric, cinnamon, sugar or Hanepoot to taste).

Instead of using sugar, add fortified wines. Not only does it sweeten, but it also adds depth of flavour and colour. Red Jerepigo can be replaced with Swartland Ruby.

*Recipe and image by www.swartlandwinery.co.za