Gnocchi With Oxtail Ragu Recipes

OXTAIL RAGù WITH SEMOLINA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Ragù:
• Toss oxtails, flour, pepper, 2 Tbsp. or 1 Tbsp. salt in a large bowl until oxtails are evenly coated. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Working in batches, cook oxtails in a single layer, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 15-20 minutes. Transfer oxtails to a plate as they're done.
• Cook onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and rosemary in same pot, stirring often, until vegetables are browned around edges, 10-15 minutes. Add wine, tomatoes, vinegar, and honey, stirring and scraping up browned bits; bring to a boil. Season with several generous pinches of salt and return oxtails to pot. Pour in water just to cover oxtails; bring to a gentle simmer. Partially cover and cook, reducing heat as needed to keep at a bare simmer, until meat is falling off the bone, 3-3 1/2 hours. Let cool; cover and chill at least 12 hours.
• Gnocchi and assembly:
• Line a 13x9" baking dish with parchment paper, leaving overhang on 2 sides. Bring milk, butter, and several pinches of salt to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium. Gradually whisk in semolina and cook, whisking, until very thick and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; add 1 cup Parmesan and whisk until smooth. Whisk in egg yolk and scrape gnocchi mixture into prepared pan; smooth top. Cover and chill until set, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Meanwhile, remove ragù from fridge and skim fat from surface. Warm ragù over low until heated through, then transfer oxtails to a plate. Increase heat to medium and bring braising liquid to a simmer. Cook until reduced to the consistency of gravy, 5-10 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Pick meat from bones and shred into small pieces. Return meat to ragù; discard bones. Transfer 2 cups ragù to an airtight container and save for later. Cover pot; keep remaining ragù warm over low heat.
• Turn out gnocchi mixture onto a clean surface and remove parchment paper; slice into about 1" squares.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add half of gnocchi to skillet, arrange in a single layer, and cook, undisturbed, until browned and crisp underneath, about 3 minutes. Toss to turn and cook until other side is browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Spoon into pot with ragù. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. Gently toss gnocchi in ragù; season with more salt if needed. Divide among bowls; top with parsley and more Parmesan.
• Do Ahead
• Ragù can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill, or freeze up to 4 weeks.

RICOTTA GNUDI WITH OXTAIL RAGOUT

Steps:

• For the gnudi: Mix together the Parmesan, ricotta, salt, nutmeg, pepper, eggs and egg yolk until light and airy. Fold in the flour and chives. Roll the gnudi dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Cover completely with the semolina flour and refrigerate overnight.
• For the ragout: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Saute the oxtails on all sides in a braising pan until rendered crispy, and then remove from the pan. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves, carrots, celery, onions and thyme and saute for 5 minutes, and then return the oxtails to the pan. Pour in the port and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the veal stock and return to a simmer.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and cook, uncovered, until tender and the meat easily pulls off the bone, turning the oxtails every 30 minutes, about 2 hours total. Remove the oxtails from the liquid and cool to room temperature. Pick the meat from the bones. Meanwhile, simmer the braising liquid over high heat until it becomes a think sauce consistency, and then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Add the oxtail to the sauce and keep warm.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Poach the gnudi until they float to the top, about 5 minutes. Drain and serve on top of the oxtail ragout.

MATZO GNOCCHI WITH BRISKET RAGU

Steps:

• For the brisket ragu: Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or large ovenproof pot with a lid over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the meat fat-side down and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Carefully flip the meat with tongs and brown on the other side, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and stir to scrape up the browned bits. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently to avoid scorching, until the tomato paste is dark red and slightly sticky, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, broth and bay leaves and season generously with black pepper.
• Submerge the brisket in the sauce fat-side down; pour in any accumulated juices from the dish. Bring the sauce just to a boil, then cover the pot and immediately transfer to the oven. Cook until the sauce is thickened and the brisket is very tender, 2 to 3 hours.
• Discard the bay leaves. Transfer the brisket to a rimmed baking sheet. Shred the brisket with two forks. Stir the meat back into the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. The sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead.
• For the gnocchi: Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat and simmer until they are tender when pierced with a fork or the tip of a paring knife, about 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set them aside until cool enough to handle.
• Remove the skins with a paring knife and cut the potatoes into large chunks. Pass the chunks through a potato ricer (see Cook's Note) onto a clean work surface. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt over the potatoes and let them cool completely.
• While the potatoes are cooling, pulse the matzo meal in a spice grinder or blender until very finely ground (it should be similar in texture to flour). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Sprinkle 2 cups of the matzo meal over the cooled potatoes. Pour the eggs over the matzo meal and begin to work the mixture together with a fork. Once the mixture begins to clump together, use your hands to gently knead until the ingredients are fully combined, about 2 minutes. Gather the dough into a smooth ball and let rest for about 15 minutes.
• Lightly dust a work surface with a some of the reserved matzo meal. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into a 12-inch rope. Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the rope into 3/4-inch pieces; place the cut gnocchi on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Gnocchi can be prepared to this point up to 2 days ahead; wrap the baking sheet in plastic and refrigerate.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches, add about a third of the gnocchi at a time and cook until they begin to float and the water returns to a rapid simmer, about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or spider to transfer the gnocchi to a platter or individual serving bowls. Ladle ragu over the gnocchi, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

OXTAIL RAGU

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking pan large enough to hold the oxtails in a single layer.
• Place chopped onions and garlic in prepared pan. Rub oxtail sections with olive oil; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange on top of onions. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Turn oxtails and continue roasting until well browned, another 20 to 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven.
• Pour in wine vinegar, tomato sauce, chicken stock or water, rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, and red chili flakes to the baking pan; stir. Pour the entire mixture into a large pot. Place over medium-high heat until sauce begins to simmer. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer over low heat until meat easily separates from the bone and is very tender, about 4 to 5 hours. Skim off fat before serving.

SEMOLINA GNOCCHI WITH OXTAIL RAGù

Steps:

• For ragù:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Sprinkle oxtails with salt and pepper, then flour. Heat oil in heavy wide ovenproof pot over high heat. Add oxtails; cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Add celery, carrots, and onion to pot. Reduce heat to medium-high and sauté until vegetables brown, about 15 minutes. Add wine and tomatoes. Boil until thickened to chunky sauce, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in garlic. Tie parsley, rosemary, and bay leaves with kitchen string and add to pot. Return oxtails to pot in single layer. Add all broth; bring to boil. Cover pot; place in oven.
• Braise oxtails until very tender, about 2 hours. Transfer oxtails to rimmed baking sheet. Using potato masher, crush juices and vegetables in pot to coarse sauce. Pull meat off oxtails and add to sauce. Season ragù with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm before continuing.
• For gnocchi:
• Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Bring milk, butter, and salt to simmer in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in semolina. Stir until semolina is very thick and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; mix in yolks, 1 at a time, then 1 cup Parmesan. Place pot over low heat and stir 2 minutes. Spread semolina in prepared dish. Cover and chill until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Preheat oven to 475°F. Butter 15x10x2- inch glass baking dish. Using 1 3/4-inch round cutter, cut out as many semolina gnocchi as possible; arrange in prepared dish. Top with warm ragù sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.