Oxtail Ragu by Neil Perry
I was walking past one of my favourite butchers in Melbourne (Donati's) the other day and the meaty looking oxtail pieces reminded me that I had seen a Neil Perry recipe recently in Good Weekend for an Oxtail Ragu. Having recently had a beautiful rabbit ragu recently I thought a heavier oxtail ragu would be just perfect for this winter weather.
His recipe...
My Notes:
I think fresh pappardelle actually works better so that is what I used. I cooked the oxtail at a very low temperature for about 5 hours and whilst it was cooling I boiled the sauce down a bit to thicken it to what looked about right (don't forget that the meat, when added back, will add some body to the sauce)
Ingredients
60g unsalted butter
60ml olive oil
1kg oxtail, cut by your butcher into 5cm chunks
2 rashers bacon, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 small brown onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
500ml full-bodied red wine
2 x 400g cans Italian tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved
1 cup chicken stock
400g dried pappardelle
parmesan, to serve
Method
Heat a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. When melted, add the oxtail pieces, bacon, celery, carrot, onion, garlic and a little sea salt. Stir over a low heat for 15 minutes until the meat is lightly browned. Increase the heat, add the red wine and simmer for about 10 minutes or until reduced by half.
Stir in the tomatoes, the tomato juice and chicken stock, and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours, or until the oxtail is completely tender. Remove the oxtail and when it has cooled sufficiently pull the meat off, discarding the bones. Place the meat back in the sauce. Check the seasoning and add a grind of pepper.
