Italian inspired oxtail recipe! Rich, flavorful oxtail is slowly braised in arrabbiata sauce until falling off the bone. Combine with Italian sausage, pappardelle pasta and parmesan, it’s a dream.

The arrabbiata sauce has a few secrets. One, it is made with whole tomatoes that were frozen. Two, I didn’t blanch them (or even core most…) The sauce is blended until very smooth, making the skins and cores undetectable. Three, I chose the tame spice of the Anaheim pepper. They were some of the last peppers picked by my friend Mary of Huhta Homestead. If you’re a Northwoods Wisconsin resident, check them out! I’m so grateful for their farm and garden.

How to Freeze Tomatoes

Sauce is only as good as it’s ingredients. Garden tomatoes are fresh for only a short time in Wisconsin, but I want to enjoy their incomparable flavor all year long. With that said, preserving is necessary. Freezing tomatoes whole is one of my favorite ways to keep them.

Remove the stem. Core if you want. (I usually don’t)
Make an “X” on the bottom with a knife. This will help the skins come off. I don’t always need the skins to come off, but this gives me the option.
Place in a freezer bag and pop in the freezer.

I weigh the tomatoes before freezing and record the weight on the bag. This comes in handy when I’m following a recipe (or writing one!).

How to Defrost Tomatoes.

You froze them and now you want to use them. Few options:

Transfer bag of frozen tomatoes to a big bowl to defrost in the fridge. I highly recommend the bowl because leaks can happen.
Defrost in the microwave. Drain liquid intermittently.
Blanch the frozen tomatoes and finish off in the microwave.
Set oven to 350F. Place tomatoes in a vessel with high sides. Cook until thawed. Drain water intermittently.

Arrabbiata Sauce

Arrabbiata means “angry,” in Italian. Due to the feisty red chili peppers used in the traditional dish, “angry,” is fitting. However, let’s be clear– no one will be angry about this recipe! Well, maybe a traditional Italian will be angry. Can’t win them all. Anaheim peppers are not traditional, but they work very well. My toddler was able to enjoy the dish, but family still commented that they “like the kick!” the sauce had. I prefer, and recommend, to make the sauce the day before. Allow it to chill in the fridge to build flavor, and then, the next day, blend and continue with the recipe. Allowing to chill also avoids the risks associated with blending hot liquid.

ARRABBIATA SAUCE PROCESS

“Slow Food,” is an organization, a movement and for some, a way of life. I fully understand that not every meal can take two days to prepare. But I challenge you, sometimes, it should. This recipe is not something I make weekly. It is a special occasion meal. I give myself and family time to miss it. “Slow Food,” is food prepared in a way that typically nods to tradition, while using seasonal, local ingredients. The beauty in cooking this way is that a connection, or relationship, is nurtured. A connection to the land, farmer, family, culture and environment.

But, seriously, why bother? Because your food will taste amazing! I am motivated by flavor. I want real, wholesome food, but it has to taste good. So, sure, you could buy sauce from the store, but I guarantee it won’t taste as good as homecooked.

Arrabbiata sauce is simple to prepare but does take time to build flavor. The ingredients do not have to finely chopped since it will be blended. The sauce goes like this:

Onions and Aneheim peppers sautéed in olive oil.
Layer in fresh garlic, bay leaves, salt, basil, rosemary, oregano, fennel seed and Italian seasoning.
Add dates for sweetness.
Deglaze with red wine. Red wine pairs very well with braised meats.
Add in thawed tomatoes, skins and all.
Splash in Worcestershire sauce for umami flavor.
After simmering for 3 hours or so, add butter.

Let sauce cool slightly before refrigerating. The flavors will continue to build in the refrigerator.

To summarize, Day 1 is all about the arrabbiata sauce building flavor.

DAY 2. SAUCE BECOMES RAGU.

Once meat enters the picture, sauce becomes ragu. Before that happens, be sure the sauce is very smooth. I use the smoothie setting on my blender.

The next steps are as follows:

Salt and oil oxtail.
Roast for 20 minutes on 425F. You are looking for the oxtail to char and caramelize slightly. That’s flavor!

While the oxtail roasts: In a large stock pot, brown Italian sausage links in olive oil. Set the sausage aside to cool, then refrigerate. They will join the party later. Leaving the sausage in for the entire cooking process, I found, makes for an unpleasant, dry texture.

The sauce goes into the stock pit that the sausage was cooked in. Straight from the oven oxtail, is braised in the sauce for hours. The first 3 hours cover the pot, the next 3-4 hours uncover the pot. I warned you this is a slow recipe!

Oxtail is collagen rich. It literally looked like a ring with butter on the inside. The oxtail I used was cut into 3 inch chunks. With time, the meat will fall off the bone. I usually “help” it off the bone, but it’s still very tender.

Finishing up.

Remove the bones and any fat that didn’t render down. Add the sausage back to the pot to warm through. Serve the ragu over pappardelle (or any pasta you fancy) with a good amount of parmesan.

Tip: If you find your oxtail is very fatty, I recommend refrigerating your ragu long enough for the fat to rise to the surface. Scrape the fat off.

Craving more pasta? Check out this Recipe: