tomato and lamb neck ragu

The last time I made lamb necks, one of our comenters suggested using the leftovers to make a ragu, which sounded like a great idea, because:
1) Lamb necks are so rich and flavorful that they would make an excellent ragu, and
2) While Elizabeth makes a lot of really varied recipes on this blog, I like to do braises which make my posts all pretty similar. Season meat, brown it, add liquid, season liquid, bring to a boil, turn the heat down, wait, eat. This adds some steps, which gives me a little cred. And when you come down to it, isn’t cred what really counts in this life.

One great thing about this recipe is that you can really tailor it to the amount of meat you want to use. We make an effort to eat meat that was raised ethically and with minimal damage to the environment, and eating that way is expensive, which really makes you think about how and why you are eating meat. When you look at the way that people used to eat, meat was important, but it didn’t have to be the centerpiece of every meal. A ragu is an excellent way to use a relatively small amount of meat to make a really tasty and filling dish. That also makes it an excellent way to use leftovers.

Tomato and Lamb Neck Ragu
serves 4

1 jar of tomatoes (if you can find them in a glass jar, it’s really preferable to a can)
1/2 to 1 lb. lamb necks (in this case, I probably had about 3/4 lb.)
dry red wine
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 sprigs thyme
salt
pepper

Salt the lamb necks and brown them on all sides in a pot over high heat.

Remove the lamb, turn the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for about five minutes.

Return the lamb, add the wine, thyme, and salt and pepper. Turn the heat to high until the wine starts to boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover.

Simmer for 3-4 hours, turning the lamb every so often, and adding more wine or water if the liquid starts to get low.

When the lamb is falling apart, remove it to a plate. Add the tomatoes, but not the juice they are in to the pot. Smash each tomato with your hands as you put it in. Turn the heat back to high until it is boiling and turn it to low, but don’t cover.

Shred the lamb either with your fingers or with a knife and fork, then add it to the tomato sauce. Cook for another 30-45 minutes. If it seems to thin, turn it up and let some of the liquid cook off.

Serve over pasta.

braised oxtails

I keep reading on the internet that oxtails used to be considered throw-away meat and that butchers would give it to you for free if you asked. I have trouble believing that because:
1) In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the girl’s mother gave her money to buy tongue and other cheap parts, so it’s kind of hard to believe butchers would give away stuff that they could just sell really cheap.
2) Maybe when the country struck it rich in the 50′s, people could afford steaks and tenderloin and didn’t want oxtail at any price, so butchers would give it away free, but it seems like by then the food business was industrialized to a point where not a lot went to waste. You’d think things no one would buy would end up in hot dogs or dog food or where ever meat byproducts go before someone would get it for free.
3) Oxtails taste pretty good. They take some time, but it’s hard to believe people ever considered them trash.

I’ve made oxtails a few times now and I’ve come by some knowledge the hard way. First, they’re incredibly rich. A little too rich for my taste, so I cut off a lot of the fat before I cook them. For the braising liquid, I think any kind of broth is too heavy, so look at something like beer, a dry red wine, or even just plain old water. Serve them with a green vegetable, too.

Second, they take a really long time. I set aside at least 6 hours to braise them, but it’s taken as long as 8. But once, they get going, you really don’t need to do much to them. One option is to start them the day before, refrigerate, and finish them on the day of. One advantage to this, is that it’s easy to skim the fat off when you take it from the fridge.

The end result is a really flavorful, rich, and tender meat, that I like to serve with some of the braising liquid over thick slices of bread.

Braised Oxtails
serves 4

3-4 lbs. oxtails
1 onion, sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 12 oz. bottle of dark beer.
a few sprigs of thyme (optional)
1 tsp. dry mustard (optional) or 1 tbsp. dijon mustard (still optional)
salt
pepper

- Rub the oxtails with salt and pepper.
- Heat a little oil in a dutch oven.
- Brown the oxtails on high heat on all sides and remove to a bowl.
- Turn the heat to medium, drain off some of the fat from the dutch oven, and add the onions. Stir occasionally until they are soft, about 8 minutes.
- Add the carrots and celery, cook for a minute and add the beer.
- Add the thyme, bay leaves, and mustard, then return the oxtails to the dutch oven.
- Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, and cover.
- Braise for 6-8 hours, adding liquid if it gets low, turning the oxtails over now and again.
- When the meat is falling from the bone, remove the oxtails to a cutting board and strip the meat away from the bone (set aside to use for beef broth later). Chop the meat, place in a bowl and cover with foil.
- Skim the fat off the braising liquid, then pour through a strainer to filter bits of bone and cartilage.
- Combine the meat and braising liquid in a bowl.
- Serve over bread or potatoes and for God’s sake eat some vegetables, too.

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