Ingredients
Meat
- 1.5 kgoxtail, cut into joints
- 150 gguanciale or pancetta, diced
- 4 tbspolive oil
Base
- 2onions, chopped
- 2carrots, chopped
- 3 clovesgarlic
- 1whole head of celery
- 500 gtomato passata
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 500 mldry white wine
- 2cloves
- a pinch of ground cinnamon
- salt and black pepper
The old finish
- 50 gpine nuts
- 50 graisins
- 30 gbitter chocolate, optional
To serve
- bread
- rigatoni, for the leftover sauce
Directions
- Soak the oxtail in cold water for an hour, changing it once, then dry the pieces thoroughly.
- Brown the oxtail hard in the olive oil, in batches, until deeply coloured on every side. Give this real time, because it is the foundation of the whole sauce.
- Fry the guanciale, then add the onion, carrot, garlic and two chopped celery stalks and cook for 15 minutes.
- Return the oxtail, pour in the wine, and let it reduce by half.
- Add the passata, tomato paste, cloves and cinnamon, cover, and cook very gently for 4 to 5 hours.
- It needs every bit of that time. Oxtail is almost entirely connective tissue and it goes from tough, through distinctly unpleasant, to suddenly tender. Stopping early leaves it inedible.
- When the meat is falling away from the bone, add the remaining celery cut into batons and cook for 20 minutes more, so it stays green and firm against the soft meat.
- Stir in the pine nuts, raisins and the chocolate if you are using it, and simmer for a final 10 minutes.
- Those three are the old Roman finish and plenty of cooks leave all of them out. With them the dish is sweeter and more medieval; without, it is plainer and more everyday.
- Season, and let it rest for at least half an hour before serving, which improves it considerably.
- Serve with bread, and toss the leftover sauce through rigatoni the next day, which is half the reason for making it.
Technique
- It was created by the vaccinari, the cattle butchers of Rome’s Regola district, who were paid in part with the quinto quarto, the offal fifth of the animal.
- A whole head of celery sounds excessive and is correct. It is a co-star rather than an aromatic here.
- It is better the next day, and better still the day after that.
Substitutions
- Pancetta in place of guanciale.
- Beef shin if oxtail is unavailable, though the gelatine will be lower and the sauce thinner.
Variations
- Without the pine nuts, raisins and chocolate, which is the modern trattoria default.
- With the sauce alone served on rigatoni as a first course.
- With a little cocoa in place of the chocolate.
History
Created by the vaccinari, the cattle butchers of Rome’s Regola district, who were paid in the quinto quarto, the offal fifth of the animal.
Frequently asked questions
What is Coda alla vaccinara?
Coda alla vaccinara is a main from Vatican City: oxtail braised for hours with celery, tomato and pine nuts. Created by the vaccinari, the cattle butchers of Rome’s Regola district, who were paid in the quinto quarto, the offal fifth of the animal.
How long does Coda alla vaccinara take to make?
Coda alla vaccinara takes 30 min of preparation and 5 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Coda alla vaccinara?
Yes, within limits. Pancetta in place of guanciale. Beef shin if oxtail is unavailable, though the gelatine will be lower and the sauce thinner.
What is the most important thing to get right in Coda alla vaccinara?
Brown the oxtail hard in the olive oil, in batches, until deeply coloured on every side. Give this real time, because it is the foundation of the whole sauce.
