Truffled Oxtail Ragù Tortelloni & Tomato Rosé Sauce

Located in the heart of St. Petersburg, Mazzaro's is more than a one-of-a-kind Italian gourmet market, it’s one of Tampa Bay’s favourite culinary destinations. Known for its handmade pastas, pre-made dishes, cheeses, olives, popular deli sandwiches, and decadent bakery items, Mazzaro's is food lovers paradise. Having heard about Mazzaro's from foodie friends, we now make a point of visiting whenever were in Tampa, and stocking up on their homemade sauces and pastas which are made daily by Teresa, who was creating gorgeous Truffled Oxtail Ragù Tortelloni the day we visited. We couldn't resist, and came home with a dozen of the little lovelies for dinner that night. 

Mazzaro's hand makes all their pasta every day, including these gorgeous plump tortelloni

Teresa hand making these Truffled Oxtail Ragù Tortelloni

Truffled Oxtail Ragù Tortelloni

Serves 4

Filling:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 lb oxtails 

2 carrots, roughly chopped 

2 stalks celery, roughly chopped 

1 white onion, roughly chopped 

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 

6 juniper berries, roughly chopped 

4 sage leaves, roughly chopped 

1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed and roughly chopped 

1 pint homemade beef stock 

1 pint red wine 

Salt and pepper to taste

2 large eggs 

1 handful of freshly grated Parmesan 

10 oz grated stale Italian bread 

2 tbsp Giuliano Tartufi Crema Tartufata

Pasta:

1 lb all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

4 jumbo eggs 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp salt 

Tomato Rosé Sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1/2 small onion, chopped finely

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup whipping cream

Salt and pepper to taste

For the oxtail ragù filling, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the oxtails on each side until brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. In another pan with a lid, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the chopped carrots, celery, onion, garlic, juniper berries, sage and rosemary until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the oxtails along with the beef stock, red wine and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with foil and a lid and cook over high heat for 3 hours.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the Crema Tartufata and cool. Remove the oxtails from the pan; discard the bones and shred the meat by hand. Reserve the juices from the pan and set aside. Let fully cool. Mix the shredded oxtail with the eggs, Parmesan and grated bread until fully incorporated.

To make the Rosé Sauce, add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion sauté for 5-7 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.

Stir in the garlic, then add the wine and let it bubble for about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cream until smooth. Let the sauce bubble for about 5 minutes or until thickened up a bit, then set aside until required.

For the pasta, combine the flour, eggs and olive oil in a bowl and mix by hand until smooth. Run the dough through a pasta machine until you reach the desired consistency on the thinnest setting. Lay the pasta sheets on a floured work table and cut the pasta with a round pasta cutter. Spoon the oxtail filling in the middle of the pasta circles. Pull up the sides of the pasta and close by hand.

To make the tortellini, lay the pasta sheets on a floured work table and cut into 3" squares using a round cutter or thin knife, spacing them as close together as possible. Put one heaping teaspoon of filling on each square, brush water all around the edges. Fold the square in half to form a rectangle and press down to remove any air and seal the edges where they come together. Bend the rectangle so that the outer corners come together, forming a classic tortelloni shape, a pinch them to seal and set aside on your work surface. Toss with flour, set aside on well-floured baking sheet, and cover. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough, re-rolling the scraps.

Bring a pot of water to a boil with 1 teaspoon salt. Add the tortelloni and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until they float to the top. Drain and plate the tortelloni and top with some rosé sauce and garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.