Oxtail soup

🍲 Slowly simmered oxtail with carrot, parsnip and celery.

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg bone-in oxtail pieces
• 200 g peeled carrots
• 150 g peeled parsnip
• 100 g trimmed celery
• 150 g onion
• 10 g washed parsley
• 15 ml oil
• 1.6 litres water, plus small adjustments for evaporation
• 4 g salt
• 1 g white pepper

Preparation

Trim large fat deposits without removing all the meat. Weigh 1.2 kg bone-in pieces. Dice carrot and parsnip into 2 cm pieces, slice celery and onion and keep vegetables separate.

Heat oil in a casserole. Brown oxtail in two batches for 10 minutes total and reserve on a clean plate. Cook onion and celery in the same pot 5 minutes.

Return meat, add 1.6 litres water, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, skim if needed and almost cover. Simmer gently about 2 hours 15 minutes, checking liquid; add small amounts of hot water to keep pieces almost covered.

Add carrot and parsnip. Cook 30–45 minutes more until meat comes easily from bone and vegetables are tender. If meat resists, remove cooked vegetables and continue simmering before returning them.

Remove accessible large bones with clean tongs or point them out when serving. Add chopped parsley, rest 10 minutes and divide into 4 portions. Reference: 25 preparation, about 195 cooking, 10 resting, total 230 minutes; firm meat needs longer.