Coda alla Vaccinara

(This is my attempt, it looks like a success and tastes better)

2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 pounds oxtail, cut into 3-inch pieces and trimmed of surface fat
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup medium-diced carrot
2/3 cup medium-diced celery
2/3 cup medium-diced onion
2 cups white wine
2 whole cloves
1 small bay leaf
Half a bunch of thyme
1 pepperoncino (dried chile), crushed
2 to 4 cups chicken stock
1 cup veal or beef stock
2 medium carrots, cut into pieces 1 1/2” x 1/2” x 1/2”
2 stalks celery, cut into pieces 1 1/2” x 1/2” x 1/2”
1/8 teaspoon cocoa powder
Sautéed chicory or kale (optional).

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and crush them with your hands. Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large braising pan over high heat. Season the oxtail all over with salt and pepper. Brown in batches, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons oil in the pan.
4. Add the diced carrot, celery and onion to the pan and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the white wine and boil until reduced by half. Add the cloves, bay, thyme, pepperoncino and oxtails to the pot, then pour in the broken tomatoes and their juices and enough chicken and veal stock to cover the oxtail by about three-quarters. Bring to a boil, then transfer to the oven and cook, covered, until tender, about 3 hours.
5. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Season with enough salt so that the water tastes salty. Boil the carrot sticks until quite tender but not falling apart, 5 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to an ice-water bath. Once cool, drain. Do the same with the celery sticks.
6. Remove the oxtails and pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids. Return the strained sauce to the pan and skim off the fat. Stir in the cocoa powder and season to taste with salt and pepperoncino. Add the oxtails, along with the blanched carrot and celery batons. Season to taste again. Let the oxtail cool in the liquid. Just before serving, reheat the oxtail and serve with sautéed chicory or kale. Serves 6.