Rome's oxtail stew, created by the vaccinari (cattle butchers) of Testaccio, braises oxtail in tomatoes, celery, and wine until the meat collapses and the sauce clings to rigatoni.
Ingredients
- 2kg oxtail (cut at joints)
- 200ml olive oil
- 2 onions
- 4 celery stalks (plus leaves)
- 4 carrots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 400g canned tomatoes
- 500ml red wine
- 500ml beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- cinnamon stick
- cloves
- pine nuts
- raisins
Instructions
1
Searing
Pat oxtail dry. Brown deeply in batches in olive oil. Remove.
2
Soffritto
In same pot, sauté chopped onion, carrot, celery until soft. Add garlic.
3
Spicing
Add cinnamon, cloves, bay. Toast 1 minute.
4
Liquid
Add wine, reduce by half. Add tomatoes, crushing by hand. Add stock.
5
Braising
Return oxtail, ensuring submerged. Cover, simmer 3 hours until meat falls from bone.
6
Finishing
Add pine nuts and raisins (soaked) in last 30 minutes. Serve over rigatoni with celery leaf garnish.