Traditional Oxtail Soup

It's not easy to get your hands on an oxtail these days! I had to give the butcher a week's notice and he said that the usual wait was a month! I am tempted to walk around the fields with a sharp knife and help my self to the next clean heffer's tail I see! Reminds me of a story my Grandad told me. He had gone to the cattle market to buy a cow. He was an acomplished dairy farmer who had been instrumental in getting the Agricultural Credit Bank off the ground. He must have been thinking of high finance when he bought that cow because when he got home, he found that the tail had fallen off! Apparently the seller had glued it on! Now you don't have to be a vet or a Bank Director to know that a cow with no tail, is of absolutely no use to anyone. The tail is critical for a cow to keep cool, balanced and free of buzzing flies! I can't remember what happened to that poor cow but I can tell you that oxtail soup is one of the best soups on earth and it is worth going the extra mile to get your hands on a tail!

Here is a great recipe which never fails to impress. You will need:

* 2 lbs. oxtail - the good sized rings;
* plain flour (about a cup will do)
* 2 oz. beef dripping (beef fat) or lard
* 2 medium onions, chopped finely
* 4 pints hot beef stock
* 2 tablespoons tomato puree
* Fresh bunch of thyme
* sea salt and black pepper
* A bay leaf or two
* 3 cloves, 1 garlic and a splash of tobasco
* A small bunch of parsley
* 2 medium sized carrots, diced small
* 1 stalk celery, chopped up small
* A little port or sherry

Method:

Trim the meat of excess fat and cut it up into chunks. Coat the meat in the flour. In a frying pan, heat up the beef dripping (or lard/goose fat). Brown the meat very quickly in batches over a high heat. Remove from the fat and drain on kitchen paper. Turn the heat down to low/moderate. Add the onions and garlic and fry gently until golden (about 8-10 minutes). Sprinkle in the 2 tbsp. flour. Mix well and brown lightly. Slowly add the beef stock and mix in thoroughly. The soup should start to thicken. Stir in the tomato puree. Add the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. A splash of tobasco really helps and a little port or sherry. Add the bay leaf, cloves and parsley (it's best to tie them up in a piece of muslin cloth so it's easier to remove them later). Return the meat to the pot, cover and simmer for 3 hours until the meat is really tender and falling off the bone. Let it cool a bit and remove the bay leaf, cloves and parsley. Separate the meat from the bones cut in bite-size pieces and return to the pot. Add the carrots and celery. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes. It's ready to serve now but I prefer to let the soup go cold, refrigerate overnight and remove the solid fat from the top, and serve next day with warm bread rolls and a glass of full bodied red wine. Oh and it always helps if you have a good tale to tell!!