Mita’s Oxtail Ragù to Serve with Potato Gnocchi
There’s a familiar saying that’s good to keep in mind when thinking about ragù: The meat is always sweetest at the bone. As proof of that, we offer this traditional oxtail ragù. You can’t get bonier than oxtail, and you can’t get a sweeter, meatier flavor than marinating those bony cuts in red wine, then braising them at a low temperature for hours with tomatoes and aromatics. It’s a long, slow process but makes a deliciously unctuous sauce.
To make the tomato puree called for, simply use an immersion blender to puree canned San Marzano tomatoes with their juice. A 14-ounce can will make more than you need for this recipe, but the remainder will keep well in the refrigerator or freezer, to be used any time you need a little plain tomato sauce.
Mita Antolini, our Tuscan neighbor, often made potato gnocchi for Sunday lunch, but if you don’t have time for these plump dumplings (see here), serve the oxtail ragù with tagliatelle, spaghetti, or spaghettoni (big spaghetti) instead.
SERVES 6
FOR THE OXTAIL MARINADE
4½ pounds oxtail, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch lengths
2 carrots, roughly chopped
½ large yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 fresh rosemary sprig, 3 to 4 inches long
2 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat blade of a knife
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
3 cups robust red wine, preferably Chianti
FOR THE RAGÙ
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
½ large onion, roughly chopped
1 cup tomato puree (see headnote)
1 rosemary sprig, 3 to 4 inches long
1 bay leaf
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Prepare the oxtail marinade: Rinse and dry the oxtail pieces and add to a bowl with the celery, carrots, onion, rosemary, and garlic. Coarsely crack the peppercorns in a mortar and add to the bowl. Toss the oxtail pieces with the aromatics, using your hands and slightly bruising the aromatics to release their flavors. Add the wine and stir to mix well. Cover the bowl and set aside to marinate overnight or up to 2 days, refrigerated.
When ready to make the ragù, remove the oxtail pieces and dry them on paper towels. Toss them with salt and pepper. Strain out and discard the aromatics but keep the wine.
Set the oven on 300ºF.
Add the oil and oxtail pieces to a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven and set over medium-high heat. Brown the oxtail pieces well on all sides, transferring the pieces to a deep plate as they brown. (You may have to do this in batches.)
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the carrots, celery, and onion to the pan with a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are wilting and just starting to brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the plate with the oxtail.
Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil in the pan. Add the strained liquid from the marinade and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits that cling to the bottom. Stir in the tomato puree and when it comes to a simmer, add the rosemary and bay leaf. Return the oxtail pieces and the vegetables to the pan. If necessary, add a bit of water to make enough liquid to just cover the meat. Bring to a slow simmer, cover the pan, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 2½ to 3½ hours, or until the meat is very tender.
Remove from the oven, and when the meat is cool enough to handle, pick the meat away from the bones. Discard the bones and shred the meat back into the sauce. Serve the sauce over gnocchi (recipe follows) or pasta, and garnish with the parsley.