I cooked oxtail the other day with black olives, quite different from my usual approach which is to include something sweet such as Port and perhaps a spoonful or two of quince jelly. But this time I wanted the deep, dark flavour that olives bring, as well as their brine. This recipe illustrates this column.

Ingredients

2 heaped tsp crushed coriander seeds

2 heaped tsp cumin seeds

5 Tbsp olive oil

3 kg oxtail chunks, including the thick end of the tail

2 medium onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, diced

2 large carrots, grated

750 ml strong beef stock (more if needed)

2 x 400 g cans chopped tomatoes

250 g good quality black olives and their brine

Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a hot pan on a low heat. 

When you smell the aromas of them toasting and turning slightly browner, add the olive oil and brown the oxtail chunks a few at a time, removing them to a side dish.

Add the onions and garlic to the pan, stir for a couple of minutes while simmering, then add the chopped celery and grated carrot and continue cooking, stirring for the seeds to flavour them evenly.

Add the beef stock, then the chopped tomatoes, and stir in the olives and their brine. I used a jar of delicious black olives in rosemary and garlic. Try to use something along those lines. Return the oxtail to the pot.

Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, put the lid on and lower the heat to cook for many hours. Mine went for more than seven, as oxtail needs a very long time to become fall-off-the-bone tender.

Spoon off excess fat. 

Serve with mashed potato and nothing else but the sauce in the pot. DM/TGIFood

Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Champion 2021. His book, foodSTUFF, is available in the DM Shop. Buy it here. 

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