A delicious smell is wafting through the kitchen and a steaming bowl of pasta is set on the table. However, this is not “Mummy’s spaghetti bolognese.” This is fresh fluffy gnocchi with an amazing oxtail ragu. “What’s the occasion?” “Recipe testing!!” “Aaaahhh the perks of cooking for a living.” Oxtail used to be considered a poor man’s dish. It was fatty and took a long time to cook. These days, oxtail gnocchi is the type of dish you’ll find at fine dining restaurants, and it’s readily available at many kosher butchers. This very same dish is also exactly what you’ll want to eat cozied up by the fireplace while winter storms rage outside. Or rain. To be a little less dramatic…the rich fattiness of the meat mingled with the pillowy gnocchi is, to be frank, fantastic. The best gnocchi sauce I’ve tasted yet. Sometimes, I feel like our shopping cart is a mini version of a Chopped basket. Give us anything different, new, or exciting. It’s exactly what we want. To challenge ourselves, to push boundaries and to make people happy when they eat our food. So, be bold and adventurous. Join us on our culinary adventures!

Directions

Prepare the Gnocchi

1. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add flour and mashed potatoes. Add olive oil, just bringing it together. Don’t overwork the dough. If it’s too thick, add a little more oil.

2. Spray a piping bag with cooking spray and place the dough inside. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil. Pipe gnocchi batter directly into boiling water, snipping the dough with kitchen scissors every half-inch.

Tips:

Gnocchi can also be made with leftover baked potatoes.

Prepare the Ragu

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or ovenproof pot over medium-high heat.

2. Sprinkle oxtails with salt and pepper, then flour. Add oxtails to pan; cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total.

3. Transfer to a bowl. Add celery, carrots, and onion to pot. Reduce heat to medium-high and sauté until vegetables brown, about 15 minutes.

4. Add wine and tomatoes. Boil until mixture thickens to a chunky sauce, about five minutes. Add garlic.

5. Tie parsley, rosemary, and bay leaves with kitchen string and add to pot. Return oxtails to pot. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover pot and transfer to oven.

6. Braise oxtails until very tender, about two hours. Transfer oxtails to rimmed baking sheet.

7. Using potato masher, crush vegetables and meat in the pot to coarse sauce. Pull meat off oxtails and add to sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss ragu with potato gnocchi and serve.

Notes:

Questions? You can reach Yossi and Sara on Instagram @tomatoes_tomahtos.

Recipe tags

Beef Gnocchi Kosher Italian food Oxtail Potatoes With a twist

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Shani Vinter

6 years ago

Love the tip with the gnocchi I once made gnocchi and man alive, I also made a mess! This was a great idea. To put in piping bag before it hardens and then snip straight into boiling water. Can’t wait to try it.

Ahuva Fruchter

Reply to Shani Vinter

6 years ago

Sara. where did you find oxtail?

Sara Goldstein

Reply to Ahuva Fruchter

6 years ago

Hi! Sorry I just saw your message. The gnocchi also stays light and fluffy when you make it this way 🙂 yum! I found oxtail in my local grocery store, Seasons Lakewood. I’m sure that most butchers would have it, you might have to ask.
Best,
Yossi & Sara