PAPPARDELLE WITH OX TAIL RAGU

It takes some time to cook a ragu, but it’s worth it for the delicious flavours you get from slow-cooked meat. You can use ox cheeks or even diced beef (you only need 800g/1lb 12oz if the beef is without the bone) but I prefer ox tail. It’s quite fatty and although many people are afraid of fat, where there is fat, there’s flavour. Given that the meat is cooked in the oven for 4 hours, it’s best to make a reasonable quantity, use what is needed for dinner and freeze the rest for another day.

Preheat the oven to 150°C fan/325°F/gas mark 3.

Season the ox tail with a scattering of fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set a large frying pan on a medium heat, add 30ml/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and gently brown off the sides of the ox tail. Once it has a nice rich colour, remove from the heat and lift the meat into a casserole dish (preferably one with a lid) that can be used on the hob.

Using the same frying pan, add the remaining olive oil along with the onion, carrot and celery and sweat them down for at least 20 minutes, until very soft and sweet (this mixture is called soffritto in Italian, the classic base for so many flavourful soups and sauces). Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes.

Add the soffritto to the casserole dish, along with the herbs, red wine, beef stock (broth) or water and the tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Make sure the meat is covered with liquid and, if necessary, top up with a little water.

Cover the casserole dish with a lid or wrap it tightly with foil and cook in the oven for 4 hours or until the meat is very tender. It’s a good idea to check the dish halfway through and top up with water if it looks a little dry.

When the ragu is cooked, remove all the ox tail pieces to a bowl and set aside to cool. Pick out the herbs and discard them. Once cool enough, check for any stray bones, then use a hand blender or food processor to blitz the remaining liquid and vegetables to create a rich-coloured sauce. Return the mixture to the casserole dish.

When the ox tail is cool enough to handle, pull all the meat from the bone and add to the sauce, breaking up any large pieces of meat. Discard the bones and fat. Place on a low heat, stir well to combine, then leave to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Check for seasoning.

Next, transfer 320g/11½oz of ragu to a large saucepan and leave on a low heat (I think this is a good amount for 4 people, but you can adjust it to suit yourself). The remainder I set aside for freezing.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil before adding salt and cook the pappardelle for 1½–2 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer the pasta to the sauce with a ladleful of the cooking water and the olive oil or butter. Toss or gently mix the pasta and ragu together, then transfer to a large, warmed serving bowl to let people help themselves. If you like, serve with a plate of burrata and a green salad on the side, or a chunk of Parmesan to grate over the top.