Coda alla vaccinara (Roman braised oxtail)
- Published: 29 Aug 24
- Updated: 18 Sep 24
Coda alla vaccinara is an iconic dish of Rome’s ‘quinto quarto’ (fifth quarter) cuisine, which focuses on offal cookery. The offal in question here is oxtail, a beautiful cut that melts and falls apart once slow-cooked, and pairs particularly well with celery. The large amount of cocoa powder gives the stew’s sauce an earthy depth, while the raisins add little pops of sweetness.
This recipe is by chef Leonardo Pieri Buti. He says “You can serve this as the main event, perhaps with some polenta, or remove the meat from the bones and use it as a ragù for pasta (in which case, make sure you grate over plenty of pecorino). I like eating this dish with my hands rather than cutlery; it tastes completely different! And be generous with the celery; coda alla vaccinara without celery is like the sky without stars.”
Chef Leonardo was born in Rome and moved to London aged 25, working in restaurants such as Margot and Casa Cruz. He’s executive chef at Paper Moon at The OWO in Whitehall.
Discover all there is to love about the food of Lazio, including its capital Rome, in our full food lover’s guide to the region.
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Serves 4 -
Hands-on time 40 min. Simmering time 3-4 hours
Nutrition
- Calories
- 658kcals
- Fat
- 30g (12g saturated)
- Protein
- 53g
- Carbohydrates
- 35g (21g sugars)
- Fibre
- 7.3g
- Salt
- 1.8g
delicious. tips
This dish will, like many slow-cooked braises, taste even better the next day. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and freezes well (without the celery garnish).
Guanciale, which is also used in authentic carbonara, is cured pork jowl. You can get it from Italian delis, Ocado and online (Lidl often sells it during its monthly Italian week, too). You could substitute pancetta, though Romans would baulk at the very suggestion!