Oxtail Ragu with Tagliatelle

Oxtail is something I normally think of as being accompanied by mashed potatoes but I’ve seen various references to it online as being served with “egg noodles”. I’m a big fan of pasta so was keen to give it a go and put together a recipe I thought would befit some glossy tagliatelle (papardelle was my first choice but I didn’t have any).

The ragu was similar to the hundreds of other ragus I’ve made before: a base of onions, garlic, celery and carrot, meat browned separately and with lots of herbs and wine added but somehow, it tasted more like a casserole than a ragu.

Not that it was bad, it was actually really good, it just would have been better with mashed potatoes instead of pasta.

Oxtail Ragu

Oxtail (I had four large pieces)

Salt and Pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic

Bay leaf

Herbs (I used thyme and rosemary)

1 tbsp tomato puree

Large glass red wine

Splash worcester sauce

Start by browning the seasoned oxtail. Remove to a plate and blot the excess oil with kitchen paper.

In the same pan, soften the onions, carrot, celery and garlic. Add the herbs and allow to cook for another couple of minutes. Next add the tomato puree and stir so everything is well coated. Return the meat to the pan and add the wine. Allow the wine to bubble and cook for about two minutes or until the alcohol has burnt off.

Finally, add the worcester sauce and season. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and then simmer for three-four hours. Keep an eye on the water level and top up if necessary.

Serve with mashed potatoes