I’m quite fond of fatty meats and root vegetables together. It’s possible that both being winter foods, it becomes a familiar combination. But I’m convinced that it’s more than that. Parsnips, carrots, yams, sweet potato, and more are storage organs for the plant and typically contain more sugars and starches than other vegetables. It just works exceptionally well with fatty meats, standing up to it with more flavor and texture.
I’ve been thinking about parsnips and oxtail for a while, flipping from some kind of ravioli, to a mash, to a terrine, and finally deciding on a Parsnip Gnocchi with a Braised Oxtail Sauce.
I present it here as two separate recipes because they are wonderful on their own. You can serve the Braised Oxtail over any pasta or rice. You can serve the parsnip gnocchi with any pasta sauce or just sauteed in butter (which I did for my vegetarian guest). If you have time to do the work, and both recipes are work intensive, I strongly recommend it together – a match made in heaven. Well, at least my heaven. Both recipes can be made ahead, even several days ahead, so I’m keeping this one very handy.
Braised Oxtail
~8 entree or 16 appetizer servings
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or blended oil
- 4.25 lbs oxtails
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 1/4 cup brunoised carrots
- 1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine
- 1 (2″) cinnamon stick
- 2 (quarter-sized) slices of ginger
- 2 pieces star anise
- chopped chives to garnish, optional
1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Brown the oxtails on all sides. (You may have to do it in two batches if the pieces are big.) Remove to a plate.
2. Turn heat down to medium and add onions and carrots. Stir with a wooden spoon as it browns.
3. Add tomato sauce and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. When it starts bubbling, return oxtails to the pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring back to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook covered for 3 hours, or until meat starts falling off the bone.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to touch. Pull meat off the bone. Discard bones, ginger, cinnamon, and star anise. Serve garnished with chives, if desired.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (Optional: Save meat and sauce in two separate airtight containers. When the sauce has been chilled, the fat will separate to the top and you can remove it if you want to have less fat. I like the fat though.) This can keep in the fridge for at least 5 days.
I ended up having less parsnips than I had hoped for (and no one was selling any in the Union Square Green Market yesterday). The gnocchi are only mildly parsnip flavored but everyone loved them so much I decided to post this. Next time, I might try to up the parsnip though.
Parsnip Gnocchi
~6 entree or 12 appetizer servings
- 1.5 lbs russet potato, peeled and cut in chunks
- 8 ounces parsnip, peeled and cut in chunks (a little smaller than potato chunks)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup freshly grated (on big holes on box grater) Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, + extra for dusting
Instructions –
1. Place potato and parsnip in a medium sized pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until fork tender. *Make sure the parsnip is tender because sometimes they can be harder in the center.
2. Drain potatoes and parsnips and run through a ricer or mash with a fork. Cool enough to touch. Form a mound with a well in the center inside a large bowl. Add eggs, Parmesan, salt, nutmeg, and pepper to the center well. Mix together gently with your hands.
3. Sprinkle 1 cup of flour on top. Mix in with your hands, trying to fold and not knead. Sprinkle the remaining cup of flour on in 4 separate additions, mixing in and trying not to knead.
4. Check if dough is ready: If dough is ready you will be able to roll into a long snake (1/2″ to 3/4″ diameter) on a floured board. If it’s too sticky, add more flour. If it’s too dry, add a little bit of beaten egg until you get the right consistency.
5. Using a handful of dough at a time, roll into a snake on a floured surface. Cut into 1/2″ to 3/4″ segments. Sprinkle with flour so they don’t stick. Place finished gnocchi on a sheet pan covered with a sheet of parchment paper and well floured. Repeat until you use up all the dough.
6. If you’re not cooking the gnocchi with the next hour, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze until use. (This will last for a month in the freezer in an airtight container.) To cook it, bring salted water to a boil. Place gnocchi in the water and cook until it floats to the top. If it’s fresh, give it another minute. If it’s frozen, cook it another 90 seconds. Drain and serve with desired sauce.
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This recipe looks so lovely and so good! I love gnocchi and made them myself a few weeks ago and this is a nice, pleasant twist on the potato gnocchi recipe. I’ve never tried oxtail but have heard it’s good.
Looks really good. Yum Yum!
Angela, can you please make this? Thanks!
I love oxtail. Great idea of pairing the gnocchi with braised oxtail.
great idea using parsnips! and the braised oxtail..yum…
Leesie, I hope you try oxtail. It’s one of my favorite cuts.
These oxtail looks fantastic! Now I just need to be brave enough to try and make it.
i’ll never tire of seeing cinnamon used in savory dishes. this is quite a fancy display, and i’m most intrigued by the gnocchi! i only recently tried the regular version, and a batch made with parsnips would be wonderful. very nicely done!
this looks so good…great knife skills with those carrots and onions!
Your braised oxtail looks fabulous! This dish screams soul satisfying comfort. Love it! Thanks for sharing.
I love gnocchi, but never had parsnip ones…sounds and looks delicious and what a nice combination with ox tail….gorgeous meal 🙂
I’ve been thinking about oxtails myself. I wish I grew up eating them, and then it wouldn’t seem so foreign to me. The gnocchi seems the perfect match to this dish. I agree about fatty meats belonging with root veggies.
Hello Jessica!
You are definitely talking my language here! Oxtail is one of my favourite dishes, it’s so full of flavour, I have to take out the middle of the parsnips when I cook them, they’re always so woody over here. I will give this a whirl this week, Baz will love it, it will take him back to his growing up days in his Granddads butchers shop. x