Italian · Dinner
Slow-Braised Oxtail with Chocolate
Coda alla Vaccinara
A Roman butcher-quarter stew of oxtail slow-braised in tomato and red wine with celery, raisins, pine nuts, and dark chocolate, the sauce served over the meat falling off the bone.
$$$
20 minsPrep
210 minsCook
230 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
520Calories
38gProtein
22gFat
28gCarbs
12gSugar
4gFiber
680mgSodium
85mgChol
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Instructions
1
Prep
Pat oxtail dry, season with salt and pepper. Finely chop onions, carrots, and 2 celery stalks for soffritto. Cut remaining 6 celery stalks into 4cm batons. Dice pancetta. Crush garlic. Soak raisins in warm water 5 minutes. Toast pine nuts lightly. Grate dark chocolate.
2
Sear
Heat olive oil in heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown oxtail rounds 10 minutes total, turning, until deeply coloured. Remove and set aside.
3
Saute
Reduce heat to medium. Add pancetta, cook 3 minutes until rendered. Add soffritto (onions, carrots, chopped celery), cook 8 minutes until soft. Add garlic, bay leaves, cloves, cook 1 minute until fragrant.
4
Build
Stir in tomato paste and cinnamon, cook 1 minute until darkened. Pour in red wine, simmer 4 minutes until reduced by half. Return oxtail, add passata, beef stock, and pepper.
5
Braise
Bring to simmer over medium heat, then reduce to lowest setting. Cover partially, cook 2 hours 30 minutes, turning oxtail every 40 minutes until meat shrinks from bone. Add celery batons, soaked raisins with liquid, and grated chocolate. Cook uncovered 30 minutes more until sauce thickens and turns glossy.
6
Finish
Stir in toasted pine nuts. Discard bay leaves and cloves. Taste and adjust salt—sauce should balance sweet-sour notes with pepper.
7
Plate
Spoon oxtail with celery batons and sauce onto warm plates. Serve immediately with the bone.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 640g (22.6 oz) oxtail, bone-in
- 2 small yellow onions
- 2 medium carrots
- 8 celery stalks
- 60g (2.1 oz) pancetta
- 4 garlic cloves
- 240ml (1 cup) dry red wine
- 600g (21.2 oz) tomato passata
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 400ml (1 3/4 cup) beef stock
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small bay leaves
- 2 small cloves
- 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 20g (0.7 oz) dark chocolate
- 20g (0.7 oz) raisins
- 20g (0.7 oz) pine nuts
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper