All Roads Lead to the Kitchen: Oxtail Ragú

Although it is officially Spring, you'd never be able to tell it by the snow boots still strewn all over our entryway. Instead of witnessing quiet birds huddled together in the tree in my front yard, I want to hear a raucous racket of tweets and chirps that won't let me sleep! I want to see tender green shoots with buds emerging from the ground, as opposed to those brittle remains of the last time we didn't have to pull on hats and gloves when we walked out the front door.

Phil lied. I always knew he was unreliable.

So, it's with visions of Spring cleaning (really) in my head, I'm balancing bouts of cabin fever with a few last hurrahs of hunkering down with comfort food. I know it shouldn't be stick-to-your-ribs meal time anymore. I do. However, I find braised meat that is not only pull-apart tender, but rich and warm like a blanket, enough to make me enjoy this still-frigid weather. Winter's final hurrah, if you will.

But don't tell Phil I said that. I'm still not talking to him.

Oxtail Ragú over 4-Cheese Macaroni

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 30 minutes (includes meat-pull

Cook Time: ~2½ hours

Keywords: braised entree beef cheese pasta oxtails

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

for the oxtail ragu:

3 lbs. oxtails, 2-inch sections
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. olive, corn, or vegetable oil
~1 c. all-purpose flour, for dredging
3 small onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
1 small carrot, carrot
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 c. red wine
2 c. Pomì strained tomatoes
3 c. beef stock or broth

for the four-cheese macaroni:

1 lb. cavatappi
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 c. whole milk
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground white pepper
18 oz. shredded white cheese (I used a mixture of Aged Irish Cheddar, Dubliner, Gouda, and Swiss)

to serve:

fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

making the oxtail ragu:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Trim any excess fat from oxtails and season liberally with salt and pepper. Dredge them in flour. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over high heat until it is very, very hot. Add prepared oxtails and sear them on all sides until browned, ~8-10 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside. Drain all but one tablespoon of grease from the pot and return to heat.

Add onions to same pot, stirring almost constantly, until browned, ~5-7 mins. Add garlic, carrot, and herbs to the pot and saute for another 5 minutes. Add wine and let bubble for about 1 minute. Add the Pomì tomatoes and the beef stock and bring to a boil; let bubble for 5-10 minutes before carefully adding the oxtails to the pot. Cover and slide into preheated oven for 1½-2 hours, or until meat is falling off bone.

Remove pot from oven and carefully remove oxtails to a bowl or plate. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and shred into small pieces with a fork. Also remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf at this point.

Discard the bones (or save for another purpose, if you wish. I give mine to my husband and he gets ridiculously giddy).

Skim the fat from the surface of the sauce, and then return the shredded meat to the pot. At this point, you should have a very thick ragú. If by chance it is not thick, set over medium heat and reduce until thick. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed.

Serve over 4-Cheese Macaroni, sprinkled with parsley.

making the Macaroni and Cheese

When the ragu is almost ready to come out of the oven, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the cavatappi and boil for 8 minutes.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and whisk in the flour to form a roux; cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, salt, and white pepper until smooth and bring just to the simmer. Let bubble until thick and then turn off heat. Whisk in the cheeses until melted.

Drain the cavatappi and toss with the cheese sauce. Serve immediately with the oxtail ragu over the top.

notes:

Refrigerate leftovers tightly covered for up to 3 days.

And by Phil, I mean that lying groundhog.

I received two free cartons of Pomì Tomatoes for tasting purposes. All opinions stated in this post are my own.

Show Stopper. That's what this is. Rich and decadent and so complex that your mind will surrender to the bliss brought on bite after silky bite. I wouldn't recommend serving this on a first date...unless you want to see your new love interest cry. The sheer intensity is likely to leave even the most composed individual staring through eyes filled with salty tears. Instead, set this in front someone in need of comfort. Of reassurance. Of proof that there is always something to look forward to in this trying world. As the scent wraps its embrace around them...and the texture engages their tongue in ecstasy...and their bellies are caressed by its warm, tender hand...all of their troubles will fall away.

Gnocchi w/ Oxtail Ragú

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2.5-3 hours

Keywords: braised entree sauce oxtails tomatoes beef Italian winter

Ingredients (serves 6)

3 lbs. Oxtails, cut into ~2" pieces
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. olive oil
flour, for dredging
2 small onions, sliced "¼ thick
2 c. red wine
3 c. beef stock or broth
1 c. Basic Tomato Sauce (see recipe below)
few fresh sprigs of thyme
1-1½ lb. gnocchi

for serving:

freshly grated Parmesan
Italian Parsley

for the Basic Tomato Sauce:

¼ c. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
a few sprigs fresh thyme
½ medium carrot,shredded
2 (28 oz.) cans peeled, whole tomatoes
kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Trim any excess fat from oxtails and season liberally with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over high heat until it is just smoking. Quickly dredge the oxtails in flour and sear them on all sides until browned, ~8-10 mins. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add onions to same pot, stirring almost constantly, until browned, ~5-7 mins. Add wine, stock, tomato sauce, and thyme sprigs. Bring mixture to a boil. Return oxtails to pot, submerging in liquid, and return the pot to a boil.

Cover pot and cook in oven for 1½-2 hours, or until meat is falling off bone. Remove pot from oven and carefully remove oxtails. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and shred into small pieces with a fork. You can also remove the thyme sprigs at this point.

Discard the bones (or save for another purpose, if you wish).

With a small ladle, skim the fat from the surface of the sauce. Return the shredded meat to the pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and then allow to reduce to a very thick ragú. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Now. Either proceed with the next step immediately, or cool down the ragú and refrigerate until ready to use, like I did. I then scooped individual serving sizes into a skillet and reheated it over a low heat. Cook your gnocchi and ladle it into your pan (I cooked about ¼" at a time), bringing a bit of the cooking water with it...just what's stuck to the slotted spoon and pasta. Toss with ragú until gnocchi is well coated.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and some chopped, fresh Italian Parsley.

to make the Basic Tomato Sauce (yield: 4 cups):

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a 3-qt. saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, ~8-10 mins. Add thyme and carrot until carrot is soft, ~5 more mins. With your hands, crush the tomatoes into the pot and add the rest of juice from the can. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce heat and simmer for ~30 mins, or until thick like hot cereal. Season to taste with salt.