Oxtail Ragu – Worth the Wait

Other than a completely unnecessary braising step right in the middle of the video, this oxtail ragu came out amazingly well. My thought was to roast the oxtails in the sauce, in a slow oven to see if I could achieve the tender-sticky meat I know and love, while slowly reducing the sauce at the same time. I couldn’t. 

Well, actually, it would have eventually gotten tender, but I wasn’t prepared to find out how long that was going to be. Like I said several times during the video, I want you to roast your oxtail and onion until nicely browned, but then transfer everything into a pot, add the rest of the ingredients, and simmer until the meat comes off the bones with minimal effort.

The only way to screw up this incredibly succulent cut of beef is to not cook it long enough, which is why I better not read any 3-star recipe reviews that say, “Good flavor, but wasn’t as tender as I wanted.” Just remember to not braise, and keep simmering until it yields completely to your fork. I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

(Pro tip: since this does take so many hours to simmer, it's almost always best to make this the day before you serve it)

3-4 pounds oxtail, cut into 2-inch sections, rubbed with olive oil, and seasoned generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

1 large yellow onion, diced

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

-- Roast at 425 F. for 45-60 minutes until browned

-- Transfer into a sauce pot, and add the following

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

4 cups tomato sauce or puree, or more if desired

2 cups chicken broth, or enough to cover the oxtails

* You can add as much sauce and/or stock as you want, as long as you have at least enough to cover

1 sprig rosemary

2 springs thyme

2 springs oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

- Simmer on low, many hours, until tender

- Should be enough sauce and meat for 1 pound of pasta

Stracciatella Soup – For When You’re 'Tore Up From the Floor Up'

You hear stracciatella often referred to as, “Italian egg drop soup,” which is fine, but knowing the name actually means little, torn rags, or shreds, works so much better metaphorically. 

When you’ve been run ragged, stracciatella is always there for you. After a long, infuriating day at work, you want something fast, filling, and comforting; ideally made with ingredients you already have on hand. This is all that, and less.

Sure, you could order some unhealthy, and expensive take-out, but that’s just a shame spiral waiting to happen. Better to beat up a few eggs with some cheese, and boil up the last of that homemade chicken stock, you made using this video.

By the way, if you’re a normal person, and don’t have homemade broth in the freezer, this works perfectly well with a high-quality, packaged broth. As you eat this, hopefully with some nice crusty bread, imagine all those little “rags” floating in the bowl are all your torn-up problems, both real and imagined. They were there, and then they were gone. You just won, with soup. I hope you give this stracciatella a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 2 large or 4 appetizer sized portions:

6 cups nice rich chicken broth, seasoned to taste

3 large eggs

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons semolina flour

1/2 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano (about 1/2 cup if grated on a microplane)

1/2 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese (about 1/2 cup if grated on a microplane)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

pinch cayenne

pinch nutmeg
olive oil and pepper flakes to garnish

Torrone (Italian Nut & Nougat Confection) – A Stirring Valentine’s Day Treat

The theme of this torrone post was originally about making this gorgeous candy for your Valentine, but then I realized what would be even better than making this for your sweetheart, would be making with your sweetheart.

While very easy, this procedure does take about one and a half hours to complete, and most of that time is spent standing at the stove, stirring, which is why tag-teaming this Italian confection makes the job much easier, and I’ll assume a lot more fun.

By the way, this is the real way to make torrone, and by “real,” I mean the really old way. Today, most candy makers use a much faster method, where a caramelized sugar syrup is simply added to the whipped egg whites. I’ve tried this both ways, and while the modern technique is way faster, I much prefer this method. It seems to have more soul, whatever that means.

Using this ancient technique, you don’t need to worry about precise timing, specific temperatures, or potentially painful burns. Besides, standing and stirring something on the stove for that long is surprisingly therapeutic. Watching the ingredients slowly, and magically change, as your home fills with the sweet aroma of warm honey, is almost as enjoyable as the amazing candy you end up with. Almost.

The visual clues, and times I give in the video should be enough, but don’t forget the cold water trick I showed you. That’s a great way to check you work, and sneak a taste. I hope you give this a try very soon. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from this one by, Enzo Maragucci. 
Makes about 80 (1-inch) square pieces:

400 g honey (about 1 1/3 cups)

250 g white sugar (about 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons)

2 large egg whites

pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 rounded tablespoon lemon zest

3 cups roasted almonds (I used Marcona almonds)

1 cup roasted pistachio

2 sheets “wafer” paper (*edible rice paper)

*Follow this link for info on the one I ordered. 
If you don't use the wafer paper, you can just spray plastic wrap with oil, and that also works. Some people use cornstarch, but I'm not a fan. Google for many other tricks.  

- I used an 8 x 11 baking dish to mold mine in.