In Rome there’s a famous regional dish called coda alla vaccinara and Italian sugo di coda – the oxtail sauce recipe – is the main element of the plate. Once you could find in every Roman family a woman or a man able to do it while now it is almost forgotten. Even the restaurants in town tend not to include it in the menu, because it takes a lot of time to prepare it.
Today you are going to discover with us the authentic, ancient recipe to prepare this delicacy at home. And if you don’t succeed, we’ll also tell you where to eat one delicious in the Eternal City.
Coda alla vaccinara – Roman oxtail stew
Oxtail stew is an iconic dish of Rome. Oxtail, though very trendy today, once was considered one of the lowliest meat cuts and offal around thriftily used in a vast number of stunning dishes. Ingredients to prepare the roman oxtail recipe are:
- 3 pounds oxtails
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 3 teaspoons black pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 pound guanciale (pork cheek) diced
- 1 carrot peeled and finely diced
- 1 onion finely diced
- 3 celery sticks, 1 diced, the others split lengthways then cut into thirds
- 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can peeled Italian tomatoes
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 2 cups of red wine
- 2 garlic, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
Italian sugo recipe with oxtail. Instructions
Season both sides of the oxtail with salt and pepper. Sear in a hot pan with some extra virgin olive oil until it is crispy and browned. Remove the meat from the pan and put it aside. Add the guanciale, celery, onion, and carrot to the pan and cook until they soften. Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir for 1 minute. Deglaze with the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan. Add the seared oxtail and wait until the wine reduces by half. Add the tinned tomatoes and celery. Simmer on low heat with the lid on for 3–4 hours. Taste, season with black pepper, and salt and stir in the cocoa powder. Remove rosemary and thyme stalks.
Are you a passionate of Italian sauces? Don’ miss my Bolognese ragu recipe here.
Listen to my interview with Giancarlo Pragliola, patron of the Rome restaurant Il Bocconcino, speaking about coda alla vaccinara.
