Braised Oxtail Ragu Food

ROMAN BRAISED OXTAIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Set a roasting pan over medium heat. Peel and dice the carrot, onion, and half the celery (including leaves). Add oil to the roasting pan, followed by the vegetables and the pancetta. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft and pancetta begins to crisp up, 15 minutes.
• Season oxtail with salt and pepper on both sides. Nestle into the roasting pan alongside the vegetables in an even layer to brown. Brown 5 minutes per side, then continue cooking another 5 minutes.
• Remove oxtails to a platter. Add tomato paste to the roasting pan, and stir to deglaze, 1-2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add wine, and stir, making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom, 1-2 minutes. Add tomato purée, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Place oxtails back in the pan in a single layer. Braise in the oven, uncovered, 1½ hours. (Oxtails will be braised for a total of 2 hours or more.)
• After 1½ hours, remove oxtails from oven. Slice remaining celery stalks (including leaves) into 3-inch-by-¼-inch strips. Add celery and marjoram. Turn oxtails over. Place back in the oven to braise for 30 minutes more.
• Oxtails are done when the meat is fork tender. To serve, place oxtails on a large platter with the sauce and the celery. Serve immediately.

WINE-BRAISED OXTAIL

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine salt, pepper and allspice. Add oxtail to bowl and rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Heat an 8-quart Dutch oven, or a heavy soup pot with a lid, over medium-high heat. Add oil and warm through. Add as many oxtail pieces as you can fit in a single layer without overcrowding the pot. Sear, turning occasionally, until the meat is uniformly golden brown all over, including the sides. Transfer meat to a plate; repeat until you've browned all the oxtail.
• Add shallot to the pan drippings and cook over medium heat until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add carrot and celery root and cook 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and two-thirds of the garlic (save the rest for garnish) and cook 1 minute.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pour wine and stock into pot. Bundle parsley sprigs, rosemary branches and bay leaves with kitchen twine and drop into pot. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook over medium heat until liquid has reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
• Return oxtail to pot and bring to a simmer. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook, turning oxtails every 30 minutes, until meat is fork tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
• Transfer oxtails to a plate. Spoon off fat from surface of pan juices and discard (there will be a lot of it). Toss oxtails with remaining pan gravy. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. In a small bowl, toss together chopped parsley, garlic, lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Scatter mixture over oxtails and garnish with the celery leaves, if using, before serving.

OXTAIL RAGU

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking pan large enough to hold the oxtails in a single layer.
• Place chopped onions and garlic in prepared pan. Rub oxtail sections with olive oil; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange on top of onions. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Turn oxtails and continue roasting until well browned, another 20 to 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven.
• Pour in wine vinegar, tomato sauce, chicken stock or water, rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, and red chili flakes to the baking pan; stir. Pour the entire mixture into a large pot. Place over medium-high heat until sauce begins to simmer. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer over low heat until meat easily separates from the bone and is very tender, about 4 to 5 hours. Skim off fat before serving.