Braised Beef Oxtail with Pasta Noodles
Beef Oxtail is the tail of a cow. In the olden days, it came from the tail of an ox, but now it comes from the tail of a cow of either sex. The tail is skinned and cut into sections; each section has a tailbone with some marrow in the center and a bony portion of meat surrounding the tail. (thekitchn.com)
I enjoy cooking beef oxtail a couple of times a month because it tastes delicious in stews. The varieties of dishes that can be created with beef oxtail are endless. One particular way I enjoy it is when it is cooked in a spicy sauce with onions. Sounds delicious, right! It is. But today, I am sharing a version of a beef oxtail recipe that tastes great.
One particular Italian chef, Lidia Bastianich, an Italian American famous chef, makes a good Braised Oxtail. This recipe is perfect with pasta. In her cookbook, Lidia’s Italian – American Kitchen, the original recipe is Braised Oxtail with Rigatoni (Coda di Bue Basara con Rigatoni), the Italian translation. I have made this particular recipe quite often with other types of pasta. My favorite is with Gemelli pasta.
Cooking the pasta for the beef oxtail
Gemelli is a simple shape of two strands of pasta twisted together. These small pasta twists are also remarkably versatile, as their shape holds the flavor of sauce beautifully while retaining the firm “al dente” texture that you expect from Barilla. (Barilla.com).
I love this pasta because of my recipe on how to cook pasta, a Simple Way to Cook Pasta. I have to admit that not many types of pasta can hold their taste like Gemelli pasta. It holds its shape perfectly and holds any sauce as well.
The recipe is made with a blend of fresh spices, white wine, tomato, chicken stock, and Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese. The perfect Sunday dinner!
Buy all the ingredients during the week and enjoy a super delicious dinner on Sunday. Enjoy!
Braised Beef Oxtails
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds oxtails preferably all larger pieces, but probably one whole oxtail, cut between joint to pieces of varying size
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions chopped (about 2 cups)
- 2 medium carrots peeled and shredded (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup chopped celery with leaves
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 2 cups dry white wine
- One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes preferably San Marzano with their liquid, crushed
- 3 to 4 cups Chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound rigatoni gemelli or penne pasta
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese optional
Instructions
- Soak the oxtails in cold water to cover for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly and pat them dry. Season both sides of the oxtail pieces with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add as many oxtail pieces as fit without crowding into the pan. Cook, turning as necessary, until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. If necessary remove the pieces as they brown to make room in the pan for the remaining pieces. Remove all the oxtail pieces from the pan. Stir in the onions, carrots, and celery, parsley, and garlic, season them lightly with salt and pepper, and cook stirring, until the vegetables are wilted, about 4 minutes. Pour in the wine, bring to a vigorous boil, and cook until the wine is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and their liquid. Bring to a boil, lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Tuck the oxtails into the sauce and cook until they are very tender (the meat should be practically falling off the bone and the vegetables disintegrated in the sauce), about 3 hours. As the oxtails cook, add the chicken stock, about ½ cup at a time to keep the level of the liquid more of less steady during cooking. Cook the oxtails in the cooking liquid to room temperature. Skim the excess fat from the sauce.
- Remove all meat from the bones, shred it coarsely, and return it to the sauce. (You may serve the oxtails while, if you prefer). The pasta sauce can be prepared refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.
- Bring 6 quart of salted water to a boil in an 8 quart pot over high heat. Stir the pasta into the boiling water. Return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, 10 to 11 minutes. While the pasta is cooking, return the oxtail sauce to the pan if necessary and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, an pour in about in about half the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring gently to coat the pasta with sauce. Remove the pot from the heat, toss the cheese if using, and check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon the pasta into warm bowls or warm platter and ladle the remaining sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
