"It's very easy to put spinach or some other green in the dish in itself, but I chose to incorporate it in the pasta to make it a little more lively and colorful," says Chris Albrecht, executive chef of Eno Terra in Kingston. "The oxtail is very rich. You could substitute short ribs or even beef brisket. Cippolini onions and sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) are very high in nutrition and flavor. All the ingredients are available now and even throughout the summer."
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Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients:
For oxtail:
4 pounds oxtail, cut into manageable sections (the tail is about 18” long, so ask the butcher to cut them into 3-6” sections)
2 cups Red wine
1-1/2 quarts beef stock
1 ea large white onion (cut into large dice)
2 ea carrots (cut into large dice)
2 ea celery stalks (cut into large dice)
1 ea bay leaf
1 ea Jalapeño (optional)
4 sprigs Fresh thyme
to taste Kosher salt and Fresh black pepper
For pasta:
1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) all-purpose flour
6 large egg yolks
2 oz Spinach puree (blanched, pureed and strained)
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tb milk
For vegetables:
4 oz Baby carrots
8 oz Cippolini onions
1 cup Cherry tomatoes (halved), or roasted red beets
1 cup Sunchokes
For final plating:
2 tb Basil chiffonade
2 sprigs thyme (picked)
4 oz Parmesan cheese
2 oz Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation:
Oxtail: Season and sear the oxtail in a heavy bottom pan. Sweat the large dice mirepoix. Add the red wine and reduce by half. Add the beef stock, whole jalapeño (optional), herbs, and the oxtail.
Bring to a simmer, cover and place in a 300 degree oven until the beef falls off the bones, about 3 hours.
Remove from the oven, correct the seasoning, and let cool completely.
When the oxtail is cool, pick the meat away from the bones.
Discard the vegetables and strain the liquid.
Pasta: Put all the ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook and mix for 12-15 minutes. (Alternately mix by hand in a bowl then turn out and knead for 15minutes.)
Let the dough rest then roll into sheets.
Cut the sheets into 1” ribbons and freeze, or cook immediately.
The fresh pasta will take about 3 minutes to cook.
Baby carrots: Roast in 350 degree oven with vegetable oil until tender.
Cippolini onions: Season and roast with the skin on, about 40 minutes, until a knife goes easily thru the center.
Let them cool, then remove the outer skin, quarter or half if too large.
Sunchokes: Wash them, season, and roast until tender and golden brown.
Red beets: toss with vegetable oil, season, and roast in a 350 degree oven, wrapped in aluminum foil with a dash of red wine vinegar, until a knife goes easily thru the center.
Let them cool, peel, cut and reserve. Otherwise, half the cherry tomatoes and use in place of the beets.
Final plating: Heat the oxtail ragu, moisten with the reserved braising liquid, add the additional vegetables, cook the pasta and toss together with parmesan cheese, herbs, and more olive oil.
Serve immediately.