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OXTAIL SOUP

This hearty soup brings back lovely warm childhood memories for me. Even when served at school, it was a more than palatable dish that would make an afternoon on the achingly cold, muddy playing field, being whacked by a lacrosse stick, more bearable. This is best made the day before so that you can scoop off the surface fat.

TO SERVE FOUR TO SIX

2 whole oxtails jointed and trimmed of fat (ask your butcher to do this)

plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

4 carrots peeled and trimmed

4 baby turnips peeled and trimmed (optional)

8 shallots peeled and trimmed

1 leek cleaned and trimmed

2 ribs of celery cleaned and trimmed 100g/3¹/₂oz butter

1 bay leaf

1 small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley

¹/₂ tbsp Worcestershire sauce

¹/₂ tbsp tomato purée

1 tsp ground allspice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss the oxtail in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the oxtail and brown on all sides. Put half of the veg and the butter into the pan with the bay leaf and parsley. Cut the rest of the veg into cubes and keep aside for later. Fill the pan with water and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée and allspice. Allow to gently simmer for 2 hours.

Remove the vegetables and bay leaf from the pan and discard. Pop the reserved chopped vegetables into the pan, lightly season with salt and cook for a further 1¹/2 hours. Add more water if necessary to keep the pieces of meat covered with liquid and stir every now and then, making sure it has not burnt or stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Take the pan from the heat and remove the oxtail pieces from the soup and set aside to cool. Place the soup in the fridge until the fat on top has solidified so you can scoop it off and bin it. While still a little warm, separate the oxtail meat from the bones and wobbly bits, and discard the latter. Once the fat has been removed from the soup, whiz the soup in a blender to a purée. Return the meat to the soup and heat through. Season to taste. Serve with warm seeded rolls. It’s also great with a blob of horseradish sauce on top.