Braised Oxtail Ragu Recipe from Rome

5 from 50 votes

Braised Oxtail Ragu Recipe from Rome

This iconic Roman oxtail recipe is made by braising oxtail in a rich tomato sauce until the meat falls off the bone! You can serve the oxtail pieces whole or shred the meat and add it to the sauce to make oxtail pasta. In fact, this recipe can be eaten as two courses or meals.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean, Roman cuisine, Rome & Lazio

Keyword: braised oxtail, gemelli, oxtail pasta, oxtail ragu

Servings:

Calories: 995kcal

Author: Jacqui

Ingredients

2 lbs oxtail (1.2 kgs) nice meaty pieces
1.8 lbs tomato passata or peeled tomatoes (800g)
1.8 oz guanciale or pancetta (50g) cut into cubes or lardons
1-2 carrots washed and finely chopped
6 celery stalks 3 finely chopped 3 cut into larger pieces
1 onion peeled and finely chopped
½ glass white wine
2-4 cloves
1-2 tablespoon unsweetend cocoa or grated dark chocolate
1 handful raisins soaked in water
1 handful pine nuts toasted by dry frying
1 handful fresh parsley chopped
11 oz gemelli pasta (320g) or rigatoni
salt for pasta and to taste
freshly ground black pepper. to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients.

Cut the oxtail into medium sized pieces if you have a whole one. Then rinse them under running water and pat dry. Peel the onion and wash the carrots and celery. Then finely chop the onion, carrots and some of the celery. Finally, cut the guanciale or pancetta into small cubes or lardons.
The rest of the celery should be cut into larger pieces and boiled in water until a little soft. You also need to soak the raisins and toast the pine nuts by dry frying them for a minute in a small frying pan. Be careful not to burn them..

Make the braised oxtail ragu

Sauté the guanciale or pancetta with a little olive oil in a heavy pan that’s large enough to hold the oxtail in one layer. I used my Dutch oven. Then add the oxtail pieces and brown them on each side.
Next add the finely chopped onion, celery and carrots. Stir in and cook for a minute or two. When the veg have softened slightly pour in the wine. Allow the alcohol to evaporate.
Add the peeled or crushed tomatoes and cloves, mix everything together, season and simmer covered on a low heat for about 2 hours. Check the sauce occasionally and give it a stir to prevent it sticking or burning. Add a little water if the sauce seems dry.
Once the oxtail is cooked add the boiled celery, soaked raisins, cocoa and toasted pine nuts. Stir and continue cooking for anothe 15-20 minutes. Add fresh parsley. Cooking times may vary depending on the size of your oxtail pieces. When you can remove the meat from the bones easily, it’s ready!
Remove the meat from the bones, shred it and add it back to the sauce. You can keep aside some whole oxtail pieces and sauce to serve as a main course or for another meal.

Finish and serve

Put a pot of water onto boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to a boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Once ready, drain the pasta and add it to the oxtail ragu. Mix together well and serve sprinkled with some more chopped parsley.

Notes

I used gemelli pasta from Pasta Minardo in Sicily. Traditionally this dish is served with rigatoni. Other short pasta like penne or fusilli works well too!

You can also serve this oxtail ragu with polenta or the whole pieces with some crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

See the text above for what to do with leftovers.

Nutrition