Vaccinara Oxtail

Preparation:

Preparation: Have the tail cut in its various vertebrae by the butcher and the cheeks into regular pieces. Wash the pieces well. Chop the onion, garlic, carrot, a stick of celery and parsley; Fry the minced meat in the oil and then add the pieces of tail and cheeks and brown well. Pour in the red wine and when it has evaporated, cover with the tomatoes. If they weren't enough to cover the meat, add a little hot water. Cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook. The cooking time is very long and depends on the thickness of the tail: from 3 to 6 hours. Half an hour before cooking is finished, add the rest of the celery cut into sticks. The gravy must be thick, dark, tasty. The original Roman recipe called for raisins, pine nuts and grated bitter chocolate. But it has fallen into disuse.