...or "coda alla vaccinara", to give it its Italian name! This is a classic Roman dish to use up every bit of the animal by the slaughtermen,
and truly delicious it is, too!
Dust pieces of oxtail with seasoned flour and brown all over in hot olive oil. Put into a large casserole dish. Fry some chopped pancetta,
a chopped onion and a diced stick of celery and carrot for a few minutes, then add ½ a cinnamon stick, a couple of bay leaves and a sprig
or two of thyme and rosemary, 3-4 chopped tomatoes along with a Tbs tomato paste and another 2 sticks of celery, split lengthwise and cut
into 5-6cm chunks. Stir this around for a minute or so, then add a large glass of red wine and tip into the casserole over the oxtails.
Add enough beef stock to cover the oxtails, put a lid on and bake in a 150°C oven for 3-4 hours, until the meat is falling off the bones.
Discard the remains of the thyme and rosemary. If you wish to elevate the dish a little, you could remove carefully the oxtails and large
chunks of celery, then pulverize the sauce with a stick blender to render it smooth(ish), then return the meat and veg to the sauce,
reheat and serve over polenta (enriched with butter and parmesan), sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and chopped celery leaves.