Gnocchi with Oxtail Ragu

In a post a while back, I mentioned how even though I have not yet tried Babbo Ristorante, the last time that I was in Las Vegas I did eat at Mario's other restaurant B&B Ristorante, which had a similar menu. It's hard to believe that since that inspiring meal, Mario's empire has grown to operating over 20 restaurants, one of which is as far away as Singapore. 

I believe it was a Wednesday night that I went to Mario's for dinner. I couldn't even remember how many years ago it was. But I can remember everything about the ambience of the restaurant right down to the way it smelled. Because it was a night in the middle of the week, many of the seats in the restaurant were available, and there was plenty of staff to provide that extra touch of service. 

The amouse-bouche that was passed at the very beginning of the meal, the ceci bruschetta, is something that I have already cooked on this blog. But the main entrée that I ordered that night, the gnocchi, is the subject for this post. 

I remember gazing my eyes upon it as my server put the plate in front of me. The portion size seemed quite modest, but the smell was intoxicating. The gnocchi were like little soft pillows, tossed with a Ragu that was so hearty and flavorful that it really blew me away. I knew from eating that meal that Mario was the real deal. It was at that moment that I knew I had to study more about him and learn about how he approaches his craft. 

In my professional career at that time I was what most would consider a young apprentice, still wet behind the ears. As the years passed, I came to study more and more about Mario and his approach in the kitchen. But it was nothing quite as in depth as the training that I am getting from this blog, which excites me to be able to really go back, take my time and pick apart what makes Babbo and Mario Batali tick. So when I stopped into my local market today and saw these lonely packages of some of the nicest looking oxtail that I've ever seen on the shelf, it brought me back to the thrill of that night, the thrill of a great meal that I just had to replicate. 

A little fore warning though, this is not a quick one-two and you're out kind of recipe. There's a lot going on here. First I have to make fresh pasta, then I have to make a very flavorful Ragu and put it all together. Plus, checking the ingredients list, I see that I'm going to need  some basic tomato sauce and some brown chicken stock to make this. I had the day off today so I was able to invest the several hours of preparation time that was needed to make this recipe perfect. 

You will need to invest in some inexpensive but essential equipment to make the perfect gnocchi. First is a tool that's called a potato ricer as shown in the picture below right. Passing cooked potatoes through one of these aerates them and makes them fluffy enough to avoid gummy pasta dough and is a must if you want light gnocchi. The other tool is kind of nonessential but I found it on Amazon.com for a couple of bucks so I bought it anyway. It's called a gnocchi board and later on I show how to use it to give the gnocchi those little ridges that help the sauce adhere to the pasta. You can use a fork, though, to achieve the same effect

After reading the many steps that are involved in making this recipe, many home cooks would probably just say that it's not worth the time to try making this. I assure you that if you're a little adventurous and have the time that it is totally worth it. 

With some newly washed comfortable pajamas on, I'm going to dive right into production. The recipe itself has you start by making the Ragu, but really what needs to be prepared first is the gnocchi. I say this because unlike the other fresh pasta recipes that I've made in other posts, the dough for the gnocchi recipe requires cooked russet potatoes. 

Once the potatoes are soft they get drained, peeled, and passed through the ricer as such;

Next I set up an ice bath and bring water in my pasta pot to a boil. While that's going, I make a well in the center of the potatoes and sprinkle the flour over the top. The egg goes in the middle of the well and from here it's standard Batali pasta making. 

Four minutes of kneading will bring the dough together, forming a ball that is dry to the touch. 

The dough gets divided into 6 balls. Each ball rolled out into a diameter of 3/4 inch and cut into 1 inch pieces. 

The 1 inch pieces get rolled over the gnocchi board as such, creating the signature ridges. 

These then get tossed into the boiling water, but not all at once. They should be split up and cooked in batches because overcrowding lowers the heat of the water and will turn the gnocchi into a glob of mashed potatoes. When dropped in the water they sink to the bottom, but when they are finished cooking, which only takes a few minutes, they float to the top. 

When fully cooked, I transfer them to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Here, they can be drained, tossed with canola oil, and reserved for later. 

Next I need to get the Ragu cooking. The oven is preheated to 375°. The oxtail are trimmed of excess fat and heavily seasoned. 

I take out my Dutch oven again and heat olive oil over high heat until smoking. The oxtails get dredged in flour and browned on all sides. I make sure to take the extra time to develop a rich brown color here. 

When finished, the oxtails are transferred to a plate, and I throw some diced onions into the Dutch oven, cooking until golden brown. 

Next, I deglaze with red wine, a whole bottle mind you (gasp), brown chicken stock, the basic tomato sauce, and thyme. It is brought to a boil. 

Once at a boil I put the oxtails back in, put a lid on the pan, and put it in the oven until the oxtails are fork tender. Mario says that this will take about an hour and a half, but I cooked mine for a total of three and a half hours. 

I use some tongs to remove the oxtails and skim the fat from the sauce. The meat can now be pulled off the bones, the bones discarded, and the shredded oxtails put back into the Ragu. 

I transfer the Ragu to a sauté pan for easier mixing and add the gnocchi. The only thing left is to adjust the seasoning and plate. 

I grated some fresh cheese over the top as expected. It was a good idea that I made extra of this dish so that I could get at least a full plate to myself. I ended up taking two, it was that freaking good! This dish is warm and heavy, perfect for an under 30° night here in Holyoke. As in the case of the short ribs, the smell of the Ragu permeates every square inch of your house. The gnocchi were light and fluffy, not gummy at all. This recipe took a lot out of me but I stuck it out to the end. 

Would I make it again? Well I would certainly eat it again, but making it is a little bit involved so I will probably reserve it for a special occasion meal. Was it as good as the plate of gnocchi that Mario made in Las Vegas? You betcha!

Until next time...