Oxtail Ragu Risotto

Instructions

• Beef Stock

  • 1

    Preheat oven to 220ºC.

  • 2

    Roughly chop onion, carrots and ginger.

  • 3

    Toss onion and carrots with oil then roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes until charred.

  • 4

    Toss the oxtails with oil then roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes until charred. If there's space, you can roast it at the same time as the vegetables.

  • 5

    To a spice bag, add bay leaves, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

  • 6

    Add the charred onions, carrots, and oxtails to a large pot. Add the spice bag, garlic, ginger, and spring onions. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the oxtails and vegetables (approximately 3 litres). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3 hours, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.

  • 7

    Once the oxtails are tender, turn off the fire and strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into another pot. Discard the vegetables but transfer the spice bag to the new pot. Peel the tender oxtail meat off the bone, reserving the meat and return the bones to the new pot.

  • 8

    Continue simmering the stock for another 5 hours until reduced by half. Top up with water if necessary. Once done, strain again and discard all solids. Use immediately or store until needed.

• Risotto

  • 1

    Bring the beef stock to a simmer.

  • 2

    Finely chop the onion. They should be the same size as the rice grains.

  • 3

    In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and beef fat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and tender, about 6 minutes.

  • 4

    Add carnaroli rice to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes until the rice is lightly toasted.

  • 5

    Pour in red wine and cook until the wine is mostly absorbed, stirring occasionally.

  • 6

    Add the dried mushrooms to the saucepan, then gradually add the hot reduced beef stock, one ladle at a time, stirring frequently, and allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. This process will take about 45 minutes. The rice should be cooked and creamy at this point.

  • 7

    Note: You can make the risotto ahead and stop just before it's perfect, allow it to cool and store. When you're ready to cook it, bring stock to a simmer again and add to the cold rice in a pot over medium heat, repeating the process until the rice has become creamy.

• To Finish

  • 1

    Grate pecorino.

  • 2

    Into the risotto, stir in the oxtail meat and most of the grated pecorino cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  • 3

    Spoon the oxtail ragu risotto into serving bowls and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and the remaining grated pecorino cheese. Serve hot.