Oxtail Ragú with Handkerchief Pasta

A slow braised meal packed full of flavor and the meat was oh so tender! This was a Father’s Day dish I made and was a big hit with my husband. Ragú is the epitome of home cooking and yet can be the pride of a restaurant. Oxtail did come from oxen, but today they are simply the tails of beef cattle of both genders. Oxtails make the most flavorful beef stock. For the most part, the robust beef flavor comes from the bones and marrow, but the meat is also very tasty.

Serves 4
recipe from Cuisine

750ml good quality robust red wine
1kg oxtail pieces
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil for browning
1 large onion, diced 1cm
8 whole garlic cloves
1 carrot, peeled, quartered and finely sliced
1 stick celery, sliced 1cm thick
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400ml beef stock
350g fresh pasta sheets or lasagna sheets (roughly broken)

Preheat oven to 160c. Dry the oxtail with paper towels then season well with salt and pepper. Brown the oxtail on all sides in a hot frying pan greased with a bit of olive oil. Set the oxtail aside in a braising dish. In the same pan, sauté the vegetables and herbs until lightly browned. Add the tomato paste and stir fry a further 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the pan. Pour the vegetables and wine into the braising dish with the oxtail and add the stock. Place the braising dish over low heat and bring to a boil. Cover with a piece of baking paper, put on a tight fitting lid or cover tightly with foil.

Place the pan in the oven for 2 hours then remove the lid and test for doneness. The meat should fall off the bone; if not, re-cover and return to the oven for a further 20-40 minutes (check after 20), adding a little more stock or water if the sauce is reduced. Once the oxtail is melting off the bone, remove the bones and leave the meat in the sauce. Season to taste. Break up lasagna sheets and cook until al dente. If using fresh pasta sheets, boil in plenty of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta and add to the hot oxtail mixture. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a good grating of Parmigiano reggiano.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: If you can serve this with fresh homemade pasta, the better! The flavors here are intense and the wine combined with the tomato paste made a rich, luxurious brown sauce. I cooked everything in the same pot for matter of ease as well as to keep all the bits created from the browning in the same pot. Lovely!