Oxtail Braised With Tomato and Celery (Coda Alla Vaccinara) Recipe (2024)

With respect, the ideas that are being marked as helpful in other comments are exactly wrong. This dish is about subtlety. The meat is browned in the softened vegetables for a reason; the wine is white rather than red on purpose; elements like garlic and anchovies that are wonderful in other dishes are omitted because they would destroy the layers of flavor. Just be sure you have good ingredients and make this exactly as written.

-Used bacon instead of pancetta
-Used dried marjoram
-Added all celery diced at the beginning
-Added salt and pepper throughout rather than at the end
-Only two lbs of oxtails, but more then enough for two people, and the quantities of other ingredients didn't need to be adjusted
-Cooked at 350 for 2:15 flipping every :45
Will make again when my grocery store happens to have oxtails. Would probably brown the meat first and then do the vegetables and bacon b/c they started to burn. 5 stars

Great platform recipe: Have made it with short ribs as well as oxtails. Just made it again with unsmoked bacon instead of pancetta and was super. Generally prefer crushed tomatoes. This time also added sauteed mushrooms. To cut down on fat I use Cooks Illustrated method of oven browning for all short rib and oxtail recipes (season generously with salt & pepper, place into roasting pan bone side down, roast uncovered at 450 for 30 minutes, drain fat and return to oven for another 30 minutes.)

Added 4 cloves garlic chopped together with 4 anchovy fillets To initial celery carrot mix. It never hurts to add more umami.
Floured and browned the meat separately. Deglazed the pan with the wine. Reduced wine to half volume before adding to rest of ingredients.

I do think the cinnamon and cloves make a difference - albeit subtly. I think thyme and bay would be good, or rosemary, but it's interesting to know what such a 'classic' recipe originally intended. It's interesting to google 'coda alla vaccinara' recipes and see how consistent the ingredients list is. But I realize that's a geeky interest in culinary anthropology as opposed to getting a delicious dinner made.

Excellent. As with most braises though this is even better gently reheated the following day. I also dusted the meat with flour and browned prior to sautéing the veggies and pancetta to develop a nice crust. Left the cover off for the final hour to promote browning and to cook off a bit of the extra liquid. This is a keeper.

I cooked this tonight, pretty much as written. My wife, 18 year old son, and his two friends devoured it, asking, “When are you making this again?!” It truly is one of the best beef dishes I’ve ever tasted, let alone cooked myself. I used 25 oz tomato passatta instead of canned tomatoes, and used a parchment paper lid instead of tight fitting lid. Finally skimmed almost 1 cup of fat before serving. Make this!!!

I also would have browned the oxtail first, then cooked the veggies. Threw in cinnamon sticks instead of powdered, and five-star anise instead of powdered cloves. Skimmed the oil off the top when I stirred. The dish was delicious.

This was outstanding. I did not change any of the ingredients, but did change the method of cooking. I browned the oxtails first, then placed into dutch oven. Browned the rest of the veg and added to the oxtails, deglazed the pan. It took almost 4 hours to cook.

red wine, provençal herbs, no paste,

Lovely. As recommended elsewhere, I roasted the oxtails first. Used Herbes de Provence in place of the marjoram, tossed in a couple of cloves of minced garlic and two star anise pods. After it was done braising, I took the oxtails out and removed the meat from the bones, then added the meat back to the pot. I think this is wiser than leaving guests to try to man-handle the oxtails at the table. Needs to be served over something stout: polenta would be good. I will make this again.

Possibly the best stew I've ever made, and I've been cooking a long time. I used the Instant Pot technique suggested below: pressure cook oxtails, chopped vegetables, wine and tomatoes 45 minutes, natural release, then add the larger pieces of celery and "saute" on low. Refrigerate and remove fat. Even better the next day, and the day after that. Great with mashed potatoes.

I made this last night. Exactly to the recipe. My only note, I had to cook it more to 3-3.5 hours in oven. Came out perfect, and the sauce was thick and scrumptious. The flavor is amazing! Cannot wait to make it again. My guests all raved.

This was so delicious. I liked it better than boeuf bourguignon. Per other reviewers' recommendations, I used more celery, red wine, and other spices mentioned in Wikipedia like nutmeg and bayleaf. Made this in an instant pot and came out perfect!!

I adore this recipe and recommend it heartily. Just one piece of advice: It’s very hard to brown the oxtails in a pot filled with vegetables, and it’s simply not worth it. I’ve tried it both ways, and I find it much better to render the pancetta, remove the cooked cubes, brown the oxtails in the pancetta fat, remove the oxtails, and only THEN soften the veggies. (Put back the cubes when you add the tomato paste and proceed as normal from then.) Enjoy!

Serve on gnocchi!

When making this for the first time, stick to the recipe as written. There is a reason it is “classic.” After that, if you feel it could, or should, be adjusted, go for it.

I had no marjoram so subbed in oregano, but not as much. Delicious recipe!

this is my go-to stew for crummy winter days. Fell in love with it after my husband and I returned from Rome on our honeymoon. I kept seeing "Roman oxtail stew" on the menu and was heartbroken not to have revved up the courage to try it - we landed in the States and I found some oxtails at a Whole Foods, and cooked up this recipe the first night we were back. All that to say, that's how dedicated I am to Ms. Hesser's wonderful recipe. That was 4 years ago and I've cooked it repeatedly!

So flavorful!! I only had 1 lb of oxtail for the two of us. Ba on instead of pancetta… I, also, added the celery at the beginning.

Many commenters seek to make this classic Roman dish as authentic as possible. Thus:1. Do not remove any fat before or after cooking. Fat is flavor.2. Do not remove meat from the bone before serving. Properly cooked, the meat will fall off the bone with a gentle nudge of the fork. Parents are allowed to assist toddlers. 3. Do not serve oxtails “over” anything—no pasta, polenta etc. Those are separate dishes to be eaten first.

I've tried this recipe a few times, and it's always a hit. I have also tried red wine with this. Personally, I double the spices and I think that a fruity white wine is superior; I use Cavot Pinot Gris for this recipe and it comes out wonderfully. I do also think that dried fruit is a good addition. Maybe throw in some raisins for the last 10-15 minutes for a little more sweetness. So good!

used short ribs and it came out lovely. added dried basil and herb de provence to liven it up. also followed others notes to brown short ribs before adding veggies & that was a win. delicious, classic, took the whole day.

It is interesting reading about this particular recipe. There are many variations, which is reflected in many of the comments on this version. I made exactly as directed, tasted the sauce and then made some adjustments based on our personal tastes and other versions of the recipe. I added diced anchovies, doubled the cinnamon and cloves, and reduced the sauce for a while before putting all of the ingredients into a slow cooker to be cooked on low for 8 hours. YUM

Could this be done with short ribs instead of oxtail?

Brown meat first, then add vegetables

Did not have marjoram, used dried Bernaise sauce instead (tarragon)Cloves and cinnamon were included per recipe, blended well Italian roma tomatoes Natural white wine3lbs Slagel oxtails Roasted with cover at 275 for four hours. Sat in warm oven for 30min. Sat at room temp uncovered for 15min.Defatted sauce and deboned meat prior to serving with mashed russets

had some oxtail, but also used beef shankIf you're in the NY area: Walden Local meat delivers beef and you can order oxtail separately

I would like to prepare this for a party of 20. How many days in advance can this be made or does this freeze and reheat well ?