Beef Shank and Oxtail Ragù

Name: Beef Shank and Oxtail Ragù
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon light olive oil or duck or goose fat; Salt; About 1 1/2 pounds oxtails; A large beef shank, about 1 1/4 pounds; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped; 1/2 cup red wine; Herb packet of a dozen or so parsley stems, 1 garlic clove, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 8 peppercorns; 7–8 cups water; 4 small white onions, peeled; 3 or 4 young carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1/2 medium white turnip, or 1/4 fairly large celery root, peeled and cut into chunks (optional); 2 or 3 smallish new potatoes, cut in half

December 9, 2011

This is something I’m tempted to make when my supply of rich beef broth is low. But maybe that’s an excuse. The truth is, I love eating these cuts, spooning out the marrow from the shank, and, in the second dish, sucking off meat from the little tail bones. It’s nice, messy eating, perhaps best enjoyed alone with a kitchen towel around one’s neck. I usually still have some meat left after lapping up these two dishes—just enough to make myself a pasta on a night when I want a quick supper. Then there’s the treasure of the rich beef broth to put away.

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