I couldn’t do an Italian series without making a rich, slow cooked ragu. One of my favourite butchers (Swains) regularly has oxtail on offer and it is such is a great choice of meat for a ragu. Not only do you get beautifully tender meat, but because it has high amounts of bone marrow it naturally intensifies the flavour of the sauce as you cook it. Mix in some Yorkshire Pasta and top with plenty of Yorkshire Pecorino and you are in for a treat.
Oxtail Ragu
Categories winterRecipe Method
Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and leek. Remove the skins from the garlic.
Lightly dust the oxtail with seasoned flour.
Bring a large pot to a high heat with a splash of oil.
Sear the oxtail until nicely browned on all sides. Remove the oxtail and reduce the heat to medium/low.
Preheat the oven to 130˚C Fan.
Add the chopped veg to the pot with a good pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and bay. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes before adding a splash of vinegar. You could always use a glass of red wine or cider too.
Add the oxtail back to the pot. Add the tomatoes, fill the can with water and add that too. Bring to a simmer and add the beef stock. Top up the sauce with more water if the oxtail isn’t mostly submerged. Season with salt & pepper.
Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes. Add a lid on top and place in the oven for as long as possible. Ideally 4 hours. Turn the oxtail halfway through.
Remove the ragu from the oven.
Remove the oxtail from the pot and leave to cool slightly. Also remove the garlic and herbs.
Place the sauce over a medium/low heat and allow to gently reduce.
Shred the oxtail and add it back to the sauce.
Once the ragu is nicely reduced add the pasta to a large pot of salted boiling water.
Cook the pasta until al dente and then add straight to the sauce.
Mix well, allowing the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce.
Spoon the ragu into bowls and top with grated pecorino.