Oxtail Stew Roman Style

1.5 kg oxtail, cut in 3-4 cm pieces
SIDS CRAZY SALT
30 g flour
150 g of pancetta
1 onion, diced
3 celery sticks, 1 diced, others split & cut in ⅓
1 carrot, diced
2 garlic, sliced
½ cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
1 tbsp of tomato purée
200 ml of red wine
400 g tin of chopped tomato
Beef stock, as needed
½ tsp cocoa powder, (optional)
Rice bran oil
1 tsp SIDS SALT & PEPPER
TO SERVE:--
Polenta
1 handful of raisins
1 handful of pine nuts
Celery leaves, for garnish

Season the oxtail pieces with SIDS CRAZY SALT, then dust with flour. Sear in a hot pan with oil until browned all over.
Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the pancetta, onion, diced celery, carrot and garlic to the pan and sauté until soft.
Add the cinnamon, herbs and tomato purée to the pan and stir for 1 minute. Deglaze with the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Add the seared oxtail to the pan and let the wine reduce by half. Add tomatoes, lengths of celery and enough stock to cover the oxtail.
Simmer on a low heat with the lid on for 3–4 hours, until the meat is falling away from the bones. Be sure to check on it occasionally, adding more stock if the meat starts to stick to the pan.
Season with SIDS SALT & PEPPER to taste and stir in the cocoa powder, if using. Pick out and discard the cinnamon stick, rosemary and thyme stalks.
Serve on a bed of polenta sprinkled with raisins, pine nuts and some of the leaves reserved from the celery sticks.