Spaghetti alla chitarra with oxtail agrodolce and bagoss
bells at killcare

By Stefano Manfredi

Serves 8

cooking the oxtail and making the base sauce

2 whole oxtail, cut into 6cm pieces

3 carrots, peeled

2 large brown onions, peeled

3 celery sticks

1 leek

1 tbsp black peppercorns

1 bay leaf, handful of parsley stalks, sprig of thyme

150ml red wine vinegar

half cup caster sugar

Wash all the vegetables and chop them into 2cm pieces. Place vegetables into a large stock pot with the oxtail, peppercorns and herbs and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, skimming any scum that rises to the surface then turn down to a simmer and cook for 5-6 hours so the meat from the oxtail is tender and peels easily from the bones. Remove the oxtail from the broth cool until it can be handled. Strip the meat from the bones and reserve. Strain the stock, discarding vegetables and cool, then store in the refrigerator until cold.

Once the oxtail stock is cold remove the surface fat, strain the stock through muslin into a saucepan and bring to the boil, reducing by three quarters, meanwhile boil the sugar with a quarter cup of water until a golden caramel is formed. Remove from the heat and add carefully add the vinegar. Once the mixture has stopped bubbling place the saucepan onto medium heat and simmer the liquid stirring the mixture with a spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved. When the oxtail stock has reduced add half of the vinegar-sugar mixture to the stock and then reduce by half again, taste for a balanced seasoning and acidity. Add more vinegar-sugar mixture if needed or a little more salt.

finishing the sauce

Oxtail meat from the previous recipe

2 leeks, cleaned and trimmed to tender white leaves

4 stems from the heart of celery

2 carrots, peeled

125ml extra virgin olive oil

Finished oxtail sauce from previous recipe
100g per person of spaghetti all chitarra* or normal spaghetti

Wash the vegetables and cut the carrots, celery and leek into julienne the size of matchsticks matchsticks. In a wide pan, over high heat, add the olive oil then lightly fry the vegetables for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the oxtail meat. Once the oxtail meat is warmed through add enough of the oxtail sauce to bind all the ingredients so the mixture is moist, season to taste and toss with freshly cooked spaghetti and bagoss (or parmesan). Serve immediately.

*At Bells we make spaghetti for this dish on a traditional chitarra (a wooden guitar-like pasta maker). This spaghetti can be found commercially but if you can’t find it, normal, good quality spaghetti will do.