Beesstert and Souskluitjies meet Quest Bordeaux Style 2017

When Willie’s Quest Bordeaux Style 2017 was announced as one of Winemag’s Top 10 Cape Bordeaux Red Blends in their 2020 Report we asked the talented winemaker to suggest a homemade meal that he would pair with this winning wine.

“Ed, the dominant cultivar in the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon which always pairs well with a plate of food planned around slow-cooked beef. My wife, Sorina, makes a delicious Beesstert with Souskluitjies…” (Oxtail and Dumplings doesn’t quite have the same ring to it) “…and like the wine,” Willie continues, “she makes it for special occasions when our table is filled with family and friends.” Now all Willie had to do was get his wife to share her recipe - which is a little like asking a winemaker to share what the other 15% of their single cultivar ‘blend’ was made up of.

After convincing Sorina to share her recipe, it was clear why this meal was Willie’s recommendation; mirroring the Bordeaux blend the meal is full-bodied. Sorina cooks two different types of meat, hearty vegetables and a traditional thick boere brown sauce. She adds fresh rosemary to her dish which complements the red blend without challenging the wine’s strong aromas. Heaven in Rawsonville.

Images | Yuppiechef

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Sorina’s Oxtail and Dumpling Recipe

Time: 6-7 hours / Serves: 6-8

Oxtail Ingredients

• 1.5kg prime rib (or you can use oxtail)

• 1 oxtail cut into chunky pieces

• olive oil

• 2 large onions, chopped

• 8 medium-sized carrots, thinly sliced

• 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced

• 3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes

• 300g mushrooms

• 4 cups of water

• 250ml Du Toitskloof red wine (of course)

• 12 small pickling onions, peeled

• 30g brown sugar

• 15ml garlic flakes

• 15ml freshly chopped rosemary

• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron pot on the stove.

2. Place the oxtail in a container and sprinkle the meat with a little bit of flour. Make sure that the meat is covered with flour before frying in the pot. Once the meat is browned, add the potatoes, onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic. Fry (or braai as per Sorina’s handwritten recipe) for another 5 minutes.

3. Add the water, wine and brown sugar and leave to boil. Now place the lid on top of the cast-iron pot and pop in the pre-heated oven to slow-cook for 6 hours.

4. Open another bottle of wine.

5. Six hours later, remove 2 cups of beef stock from the pot and add the rest of the vegetables. Allow to cook until soft.

6. Remove the pot from the oven and sprinkle the freshly chopped rosemary over the food.

Brown Sauce Ingredients

• half a cup of butter

• half a cup of flour

• 2 cups of beef stock

• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Melt the butter in a pot. Once the butter has melted, add the flour.

2. Fry the flour in the butter until it has turned golden brown.

3. Now add the beef stock and stir well to prevent lumps from forming.

4. Spice with salt and pepper and cook the sauce until it is thick and creamy.

5. Pour the sauce over the meat when serving.

Dumplings Ingredients

• 1 cup of effervescent flour

• pinch of salt

• 60g butter

• 30ml mixed dried herbs

• 90ml water

Method

1. Mix the salt into the flour.

2. Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs.

3. Now add the rest of the ingredients and mix until it turns into a dough.

4. Make small balls from the dough and place them on top of the meat once it has been cooked.

5. Close the lid of the cast-iron pot and cook for another 30 minutes on low heat until the dumplings are done.