Make Ahead

Rich Marinara with Oxtails

January 27, 2021
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Photo by clintonhillbilly
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 4 hours
  • Serves 12
Author Notes

I’ve read dozens of recipes for classic Italian-American Sunday sauce, but never tried making it myself. This recipe is inspired by Sunday sauce, and by a delicious dish of pasta I had at Diavola Pizzeria and Salumeria in Geyserville, California. The chef there, Dino Bulgica, uses all sorts of cuts of meat to achieve a thick, rich gravy. I’ve used oxtails in my recreation of the dish. —clintonhillbilly

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1.5 pounds bone-in oxtails
  • 12 ounces mild Italian sausage
  • 2/3 cup shallots, chopped
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large carrot, grated
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking
  • 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil for finishing
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 28 ounces can whole tomatoes
  • 28 ounces can crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Brown oxtails on all sides in olive oil and set aside.
  2. Cook shallots and sausage, breaking up sausage, until shallots start to soften, 3-4 minutes. Deglaze pan with red wine if needed.
  3. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until tomato paste begins to darken, about three minutes. Deglaze with remaining red wine.
  4. Add grated carrot, tomatoes, oregano, and rosemary. Add oxtails back into the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cover.
  5. Simmer sauce until the oxtail meat is soft and easily pulled off the bone with a fork, likely at least three hours. Remove oxtails, pull the meat off of bones, shred the meat with two forks or your fingers, and put the meat back into the sauce.
  6. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and be generous with the pepper.
  7. Serve over pasta with grated Parmesan and torn fresh basil, and red pepper flakes if you like a bit of heat.

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clintonhillbilly

Recipe by: clintonhillbilly

public interest attorney

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