Slow, shared days: enjoying an oxtail potjie around the fire pit

But slow days arrived when, on 26 March 2020, South Africa went into Covid-19 lockdown. Booking cancellations were the order of the day, and it was clear that everyone and almost all business sectors have been, and will continue to be, hugely impacted.

Three international guests stayed on at Devonport House until they were able to secure flights home. Their days were spent relaxing at the pool, exercising in the gardens, and enjoying shared home cooked meals prepared by Jacques. Grant and Prudence also got into the spirit of what needed to be done by helping to deep clean the property, ensuring that the heightened pandemic-specific hygiene standards were met and maintained. 

These were unprecedented times for all of us. We remained positive, however, that in the near future international visitors would show their faith in South Africa, and the hospitality sector would once again see our global and local visitors returning to appreciate and enjoy what Cape Town in particular has to offer.

In our eagerness to welcome guests anew we ran a winter special during the immediate post-lockdown period of June to August 2020. Guests staying for four nights or longer were guaranteed a repeat of Jacques's fire-pit potjie which went down so well with the travellers with whom we shared the lockdown experience.  

Subsequently, many guests have asked for the recipe, so Jacques happily shares it below. 

Oxtail and red wine potjie

Potjiekos is a traditional South African stew, slow cooked in a cast-iron pot over an open fire. This recipe combines the unctuousness of oxtail with the robustness of red wine to create a delicious, hearty one-pot meal.

Prep time: 30 mins. Cooking time: 4 hours. Serves 8-10. Original recipe by Jeanne Horak-Druiff.

Ingredients:

·         500g fresh oxtails (get your butcher to slice them in pieces between the bones)

·         10 slices of bacon, cut into 2.5cm pieces

·         ½ cup flour, seasoned liberally with salt and pepper

·         1 litre beef stock

·         115g tomato paste

·         1 bay leaf

·         6 black peppercorns

·         1 bouquet garni

·         4 large leeks, coarsely chopped 

·         2 large onions, coarsely chopped

·         6 large carrots, 2 roughly chopped and 4 finely diced

·         20 button mushrooms, quartered

·         250ml red wine

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         2 tablespoons crushed garlic

Method:

1.    Dry-wipe the oxtail with paper towel.

2.    Put the seasoned flour in a resealable plastic bag, then add the oxtail and shake to coat with flour.

3.    Heat the butter and olive oil in the potjie (either over coals or gas) and sauté the bacon.

4.    Remove bacon, add the oxtail to the pot and brown in the bacon fat.  When each piece is browned all over, remove and drain on paper towels while keeping warm.

5.    Add the finely diced carrots to the pot together with the chopped onions and leeks, and sautée until softened.

6.    Return the oxtail and bacon to the pot. Add the bouquet garni, bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, tomato paste, beef stock and red wine.

7.    Bring slowly to the boil. (If you have been using gas, at this point transfer the pot to the coals). Cover tightly with a lid and allow to cook undisturbed for 4 hours.

8.    One hour before serving, add the remaining carrots and mushrooms. Continue cooking slowly, without stirring.

9.    For a thicker sauce, stir in some cornstarch mixed with cold water just before serving. Enjoy with rice, polenta - or another traditional South African favourite, mieliepap!