Oxtail Ragù over Ricotta Gnocchi

Like the Pollo en Escabeche and the Cawl recipes prior, this is another slow cooker meal to start the night before. As with the cawl, you will need to skim the fat off the top prior to serving. I find it easier to refrigerate while I’m at work and then skim and reheat when I get home.

Just about to turn on the slow cooker
but I forgot to take a pic of the seared oxtails :(

Albeit, this is a little more complex than my usual “set it and forget it” meals, but I’m moving and I’m working on eating most of the items in my freeze and pantry. I had a leftover container of ricotta and some homemade stock. The ricotta, which freezes well by the way, was earmarked for my Cranberry Ricotta Tart for Christmas. However, I didn’t get to dine with Aunt Florence at Christmas this year, so I didn’t have to make the tart. Plus, oxtail just happened to be on sale and I do like a good ragù!

Ragù and not the Unilever brand, Ragú, is a rich meat-based sauce. While there is a difference between sauces from the North and the South, a ragù, in short, is substantially composed of meat as the base, versus a meat sauce which is mostly a tomato base. It’s a little confusing.

After the hour on High

This recipe mixes the two styles. The ox-tails are braised for a long time with vegetables (Southern style) and the meat remains in the sauce and is flavored with a discrete amount of tomatoes (Northern style).

Mostly likely, ragùs entered Italian cuisine after Napoléon’s invasion of northern areas of Italy. Sauces influenced by the French ragoût, a type of main-dish stew, became prevalent in Emilia-Romagna soon after. The word, ragù, is related to the French ragoût.

Oxtail Ragù, adapted from Paola's Oxtail Ragù with Creamy Sage and Two Day Braised Oxtail Ragù

Ingredients:
•    2 Tbsp olive oil
•    1 onion, diced
•    3 cloves crushed garlic
•    2 carrots, peeled and diced
•    2 lbs oxtail, dredged in flour
•    2 cp. stock or broth
•    2 cp. wine, white or red
•    12 oz. tomato paste
•    ½ Tbsp oregano
•    ½ Tbsp thyme
•    2 bay leaves

Directions:

See the carrots and chunks of oxtail meat
that just fell off the bone

1. Sauté onion, garlic and carrots in the olive oil over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes; remove from the pan and put in the slow cooker.
2. Then add the dredged oxtail to the oiled pan and brown the meat all sides, again about 8-10 minutes; remove from the pan and put in the slow cooker. Using some of the wine or stock, deglaze the sauté pan and add to the slow cooker.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to a crockpot, and add water (or more wine), if needed, to ensure the oxtail is completely covered.
4. Cook on high for 1 hour and then turn down to low and cook for another 7 hours; the ragù is done when the meat falls off of the bones.
5. Refrigerate for around 8 hours; skim the fat off the top and discard bones and bay leaves.
6. Warm up the ragù to top the gnocchi.

Ricotta Gnocchi, adapted from allrecipes' Ricotta Gnocchi

Ingredients:
•    16 oz ricotta cheese
•    4 eggs
•    1 cp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•    2 tsp salt
•    2 tsp pepper
•    2 tsp garlic powder
•    2¼ cps all-purpose flour, or as needed

Directions: 

1. Combine all the ingredients but the flour in a large bowl evenly, then mix in 1 cup of flour, adding additional flour, if needed, to form a soft dough.
2. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces and roll into 1/2-inch-thick ropes on a floured surface; cut each rope into ¾ inch pieces and place on a lightly floured baking sheet.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat; boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes, then drain.
4. Top with the oxtail ragù.

I owe the blog a picture of the finished gnocchi!