Oxtail Tortellini Food

HOMEMADE TORTELLI STUFFED WITH STEWED OXTAIL

Steps:

• For the filling: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the oxtails on each side until brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.
• In another pan with a lid, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute the chopped carrots, celery, onion, garlic, juniper berries, sage and rosemary until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the oxtails along with the beef stock, red wine and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with foil and a lid and cook over high heat for 3 hours.
• Remove the pan from the heat and cool. Remove the oxtails from the pan; discard the bones and shred the meat by hand. Reserve the juices from the pan and set aside. Let fully cool.
• Mix the shredded oxtail with the eggs, Parmesan and grated bread until fully incorporated.
• For the pasta: Combine the flour, eggs and olive oil in a bowl and mix by hand until smooth. Run the dough through a pasta machine until you reach the desired consistency on the thinnest setting.
• Lay the pasta sheets on a floured work table and cut the pasta with a round pasta cutter. Spoon the oxtail filling in the middle of the pasta circles. Pull up the sides of the pasta and close by hand.
• For the sauce: Add the butter and sherry vinegar to the reserved juices in the oxtail pan and reduce for 15 to 20 minutes. When ready to serve, bring a pot of water to a boil with 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes. Drain and toss in the thickened oxtail sauce until heated through. Plate and top with a couple of handfuls of cheese.

OXTAIL STEW WITH DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Season the flour with salt and pepper, then toss the oxtail in it until evenly coated. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Working in batches, brown the meat really well on all sides. Remove from the pan, then add the veg and garlic and fry for 3-4 mins until starting to colour. Stir in the tomato purée and herbs. Tip the meat back into the pan, pour over the wine, then crumble in the stock cube. Season, cover the pan and braise in the oven for 3 hrs until the meat is meltingly tender. Can be cooked up to 2 days ahead. If you make it ahead, chill in the fridge and lift any fat off the top before reheating.
• To make the dumplings, tip the flour and basil (reserving a few leaves for a garnish) into a food processor with a generous pinch of salt, then blitz until the basil is finely chopped. Add the butter and blitz until it's the texture of breadcrumbs, then gradually add the egg whites until everything comes together. On a floured surface, roll the dumplings into small, walnut-size balls, then cover with a tea towel until ready to cook.
• To serve, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Simmer dumplings for 15 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon. While the dumplings are cooking, gently reheat the meat in the sauce. Serve a few chunks of meat in a soup bowl with a few dumplings, drizzled with olive oil and scattered with a few basil leaves.