Recipe - Oxtail And Barley Soup

1 teaspoon Olive oil
2 pound Oxtail; (about 6 chunks)
1/3 cup Chopped onion
2 lg Garlic cloves; finely
chopped
1 28 ounce can whole; peeled
tomatoes
One half cup Beef stock
1 teaspoon Dried thyme
2 Bay leaves
Salt and pepper
Three fourths cup Flour
One fourth cup Semolina
2 lg Eggs
One fourth cup Extremely finelychopped
parsley
Freshlygrated Parmesan
cheese; for serving

Prepare oxtail ragu: In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven heat oil over
mediumhigh heat. When hot, add oxtail chunks and sautJ on all sides until
browned, about 10 minutes. Add onions and garlic, mix well and sautJ 2
minutes. Squeeze tomatoes into coarse chunks with your hands and add them
with their liquid. Stir in beef stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a
boil and reduce heat to very low. Simmer gently 5 to 6 hours, or until
oxtail is tender. Let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove oxtail from
liquid, cut meat and fat from bone and cut into small dice. Discard bones.
Spoon as much fat as possible from surface of sauce and return minced meat
to pot. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight.

Prepare pinci: On a wooden work surface mix flour and semolina and form
into a mound with a well. Break eggs into center and beat well. Gradually
begin mixing in flour mixture to form a dough. Add One half teaspoon of salt and
parsley. Work pasta with your hands, kneading at least 10 minutes until
smooth and elastic. Add a little more flour if dough is still sticky, but
do not let it become too stiff. Wrap in wax paper and let rest,
refrigerated, 1 hour. To roll out pinci, pinch off olivesize pieces of
dough one at a time (meanwhile, cover pasta dough with wax paper) and roll
between your hands to form an oval. On work surface, roll each oval with
your hands into slender, long strands, 12 to 15inches long. Leave them on
work surface to dry slightly; make sure strands are not touching.

When ready to serve, gently reheat ragu and bring a large pot of salted
water to a vigorous boil. Add pinci and cook just until al dente, 5 to 8
minutes. Drain in a colander. Serve pasta in deep pasta bowls, pour sauce
over and pass grated Parmesan.

Yield: 2