Victor Sack wrote:

> ChattyCathy > wrote:
>
>> Do any other rfc-ers enjoy oxtail - and if so, got any favorite
>> recipes and/or ways of preparing it that you might like to share?

>
> Coda alla vaccinara
> Braised Oxtail with Tomatoes, Onions and Celery

<sniped for space>
>
> Improvised variation
>
> I wanted something more liquid, closer to soup, but still thick
> enough to be called a stew. So, to the usual components (but with the
> celery replaced with leeks), I added a couple of pigs' trotters -
> which probably made it closer to the original recipe than the present
> day pancetta (which I omitted) - and some mixed beef/chicken/vegetable
> stock, thickened a bit with some dark roux. Still following some of
> that classical coda alla vaccinara recipe from the famous Checchino
> dal 1887 in the Testaccio area of Rome, I even added some bitter
> chocolate
> (Dolfin 77%-cacao dark flaked chocolate) at the end of cooking. Not
> following that recipe, I also added some Hungarian hot paprika paste
> (Univer Piros Arany csipös), also at the end of cooking. The result
> turned out to be very tasty indeed.

Thanks for posting this Victor! - gonna give this a try (and you even
solved my 'celery dilemma' i.e. I like it but my husband *abhors* it).

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy