Beef in tomato sauce with green olives

A classic Winter recipe, traditionally coming from Crete, with no trouble at all to prepare. Very tasty dish, with the olives giving a special touch

Ingredients (for 4-6 people):
1 ½Kg of beef, cut in cubes
4 tbsp of butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 glass of white dry wine
1/2 tsp of oregano
2-3 bay leaves
1 tin of tomatoes, finely chopped
250gr. green olives, rinsed and pitted
salt
pepper

Method:
From the previous day put the olives in a plastic bowl full of water. Change the water every few hours so to de-salt the olives as much as possible.

In a large pot melt the butter in medium to high heat and sauté the onions until they get soft but not coloured. Then add the meat and sauté until it gets coloured on all sides. Pour over the wine and when it evaporates a bit, add some water, the oregano, the bay leaves, salt and pepper.

Turn the heat to medium/low and leave the meat to cook slowly for about 30 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and the olives and continue cooking for another 40-50 minutes until the meat is really tender and all that is left in the pot is a nice thick-ish tomato sauce.

Serve immediately with sautéed potatoes or rice pilaf.