Slow Cooked Oxtail Ragu

• 500 mlhot beef stock
• 2carrots, peeled and diced
• 2celery sticks, sliced
• 400 gcanned chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsptomato purée
• sea salt and black pepper, to season
• 2large onions, chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 3thyme sprigs
• 300 mlred wine
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 1½ kgoxtail, cut into joints
• 2bay leaves
• 400 gpappardelle
• 15 gfresh parsley, chopped (optional) (optional)

Method

1. 1Pat the oxtail joints dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a heavy stainless or cast-iron pan over a medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown the oxtail in two or three batches, 3–4 minutes a side, until every face is deeply mahogany. Don't crowd the pan; all at once and the meat boils in its own juices instead of caramelising. Transfer to the slow cooker as each batch is done.
2. 2Drop the heat to medium and tip the onion, carrot and celery into the same pan with all that fond. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened and starting to catch at the edges. Stir in the garlic and tomato purée and cook for just 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
3. 3Pour in the red wine and let it bubble hard for 2 minutes, scraping up every sticky brown bit from the base of the pan.
4. 4Tip the contents of the pan into the slow cooker. Add the chopped tomatoes, hot beef stock, bay leaves and thyme. Stir once to settle everything around the oxtail, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4) until the meat is falling from the bone and the sauce is glossy and deeply reduced.
5. 5Lift the oxtail pieces onto a board. Shred the meat with two forks, discarding bones, sinew and excess fat, and return the meat to the sauce. Fish out the bay and thyme stalks. Taste; it should be rich, savoury and faintly sweet from the long cook. If the ragù feels loose, transfer it to a wide pan and simmer on the hob for 15–20 minutes until thick enough to cling to a spoon, then return the meat to it.
6. 6Use plenty of water and bring it to a strong boil; add enough salt for the water to taste balanced. Season the pasta itself. Cook the pappardelle to al dente per the packet, then drain, reserving a mugful of the cooking water.
7. 7Tip the pasta into the ragu and toss to coat, loosening with a splash of pasta water if needed so every ribbon is glossy. The acid from the wine and tomatoes has had eight hours to mellow; taste once more and adjust the salt before plating. Scatter with parsley if using.

Per serving

kcal

561

protein

53g

fibre

3.2g

carbs

15.8g

fat

28g