Oxtail Ragù with Pappardelle

Oxtail browned in a heavy pot and braised for two and a half to three hours with red wine, tomatoes and oregano until the meat slips off the bone, then tossed with pappardelle. Red wine vinegar at the end, pecorino and lemon zest on top. Guests from Jamaica, Italy and Spain shared their family versions with me; this is mine.

• 2 lb (1 kg) oxtail, cut into pieces on the bone
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1¼ cups (300 ml) dry red wine
• 1 lb (500 g) canned Italian tomatoes
• 2 or 3 sprigs fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste
• 10 oz (300 g) pasta: pappardelle, penne or rigatoni
• Olive oil, salt, black pepper
• To serve, optional: grated pecorino, lemon zest, fresh oregano leaves

Serves four.

1. Heat a little olive oil in a large cast-iron casserole. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until soft. Add the garlic for the last minute, then move the vegetables to a plate.
2. Season the oxtail with salt and pepper. Add a little more oil and brown the pieces in batches, turning, 5 to 6 minutes per batch, until deep brown all over.
3. Return the vegetables and all the oxtail to the pot, pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, until reduced by half.
4. Add the tomatoes, crushing them a little, the oregano and 1 cup water. Season, bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer 2½ to 3 hours, until the meat pulls away from the bone.
5. Lift the oxtail out and skim the fat from the sauce. When the pieces are cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones, return it to the sauce, add the vinegar and check the seasoning. Keep warm.
6. Boil the pasta until al dente, drain and return it to its pan. Toss with the oxtail sauce and serve hot, with pecorino, lemon zest and oregano.

Oxtail is mostly bone, fat and connective tissue: hours of gentle simmering melt its collagen into gelatin, and gelatin gives the sauce a body and gloss that coats the tongue. Browning the pieces first builds the deep, roasted notes that run through the whole braise. Cooking the wine down takes the raw edge off the alcohol and concentrates its acidity and fruit; the tomatoes add more acid and a little sweetness. After three hours the sauce is rich and round, and a spoon of red wine vinegar at the end cuts through the fat. Lemon zest and pecorino on the plate are sharp and salty against the richness.

Yes, and it is better the next day: as it cools in the sauce, the meat drinks some of the liquid back and the flavors settle. Keep it in the fridge up to 3 days, lift off the set fat and reheat gently before cooking the pasta.

Yes. Brown everything on the stove, then braise in a 325°F oven with the lid slightly ajar for the same 2½ to 3 hours, or in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours.

Oxtail gives up a lot of fat. Skimming leaves the gelatin and flavor and keeps the sauce from turning greasy.

A wide one that holds a chunky sauce: pappardelle first, then rigatoni or penne.

It gives acidity and depth. Without it, use the same amount of beef stock and add a little more vinegar at the end.

I am Marina Staver, a private chef in Miami and South Florida. I cook dinners in people's homes: birthdays, anniversaries, dinner parties, quiet evenings for two on a Wednesday. I plan the menu around what you actually like, shop for it, cook it in your kitchen and leave it clean.

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Sources: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, fsis.usda.gov.