Parsley Stracci, Braised Oxtail, and Fried Chicken Livers

METHOD:

For the Braised Oxtail:
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Season the oxtail with salt and pepper. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the oxtail, reduce heat to medium, and brown on all sides. Remove oxtail from the pan and add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic; cook over medium heat until golden brown. Add the oxtail, water, and rosemary to the pan and bring to simmer. Cover the pot and cook in the oven for 4 hours. Remove from the oven and bring to room temperature. Remove the oxtail from the broth and pull all the meat off the bones. Cut the meat up into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Strain the broth through a fine strainer and reserve. This can be made 2 days in advance.

For the Chicken Livers:
Put the chicken livers in the buttermilk and let sit for 4 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat a deep fryer or large pot with oil to 375ºF. Add the salt and pepper to the flour and mix well. Remove the livers from the buttermilk and toss with the flour. Deep fry until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.

For the Parsley Stracci:
Purée the parsley and water in a blender until completely smooth. Strain through a chinois, while pressing the pulp with a ladle, until all of the liquid has been pressed out. Discard the pulp, and reserve ¾ cup of the parsley liquid. Pour the remaining parsley juice into a large pot of water, set over a low flame. (Do not bring the water to a boil, or the parsley will lose its color.) As the chlorophyll rises to the top of the water, skim it off and drain over cheesecloth. In a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, mix the flour, egg, 5 ounces of the harvested chlorophyll, and the reserved parsley water until the chlorophyll is evenly distributed throughout the dough. Continue mixing for another 10 minutes. The dough will look dry and clumpy. Pour the dough into a vacuum bag, compress at the highest setting, and rest for 1 to 2 hours. With a pasta machine, roll out to thin sheets and place on baking sheets. Place in freezer for 1 hour. Once frozen, break into 4-inch by 4-inch pieces. (Stracci translates to rags in Italian, so they don’t need to look perfect.)

To Assemble and Serve:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook frozen Parsley Stracci for 1 minute. Drain pasta and add to a sauté pan with the Braised Oxtail, 8 ounces braising liquid, butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and olive oil. Cook over high heat while stirring constantly until the liquid has reduced and coats the pasta. Season with salt. Put the pasta in a bowl, and using a zester, zest the lemon over the pasta. Top with the Fried Chicken Livers.