Italian · Rome · main

Coda alla Vaccinara

Coda alla Vaccinara reads umami 7.7, richness 7.7 and salinity 4.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian · Rome main, about 6 hr 16 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.4 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 5.3 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 3.5 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.9 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 8.7 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.7 · Richness 7.7 · Salinity 4.8 · Sweetness 4.5 · Warm Spice 3.6 · Nutty 3.4 · Allium 3.3 · Sourness 2.8 · Fruity 2.8 · Floral 2.6 · Earthy 2.4 · Bitterness 2.3 · Citrus 2.1 · Funk & Ferment 2.0 · Smoke 1.4 · Herbaceous 0.6

What's in it (16)

• oxtail — 1500 g
• pancetta — 80 g
• onion — 200 g
• carrot — 150 g
• celery — 500 g
• garlic — 12 g
• dry white wine — 300 g
• passata — 600 g
• cloves — 400 g
• ground cinnamon — 1 g
• sultanas — 30 g
• pine nuts — 30 g
• cocoa powder — 10 g
• extra virgin olive oil — 55 g
• salt — 10 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 5 g

Time & effort: about 6 hr 16 min (4 hr 16 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 161.7 kcal, 11.3 g protein, 9.2 g fat, 9.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

1. Soak the oxtail sections in cold water for 2 hours, changing the water twice, then drain and dry them hard. This draws out the blood that would otherwise turn the sauce muddy.
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole and cook the guanciale over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until its fat runs. Add the onion, carrot, the chopped outer celery and the garlic and sweat 12 minutes, until everything is soft and the onion is translucent.
3. Raise the heat, add the oxtail and brown it thoroughly, 12 to 15 minutes, turning the pieces so every face takes colour. Season with the salt and pepper. Do not crowd the pot; brown in two batches if you must, because pale oxtail makes pale sauce.
4. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 4 minutes until the raw alcohol smell has gone and the bottom of the pot has lifted. Add the passata, cloves and cinnamon and enough hot water to just cover the meat.
5. Cover and cook at the barest simmer for 3 to 4 hours, turning the pieces every 45 minutes and topping up with hot water if the sauce tightens too far. It is done when the meat retreats from the bone and slides off under a fork, not before. Oxtail punishes impatience more than almost any cut.
6. In the last 30 minutes, add the reserved celery hearts, cut into 6 cm lengths, so they cook through but keep their shape.
7. Lift the meat out and keep it warm. Stir the sultanas, pine nuts and cocoa into the sauce and simmer 10 minutes uncovered until it is glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. The cocoa should not read as chocolate; it reads as depth and a faint bitterness against the sweet raisins. Return the oxtail, warm through and serve with bread. In Rome the sauce left in the pot is used the next day to dress rigatoni.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Cornish Pasty — British
• Mole Coloradito con Pollo — Mexican · Oaxaca
• Kare-Kare With Beans, Baby Bok Choy, And Eggplant — Filipino
• Greek-Style Braised Short Ribs with Cinnamon and Tomato — Greek
• Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta with Spiced Beef and Bechamel) — Greek

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.