GF TREASURES
Barney Desmazery chooses his favourite thrifty, make-ahead soups from the Good Food archives to warm up the winter evenings
Warming soups you can make ahead
Oxtail soup
SERVES 6 PREP 25 mins plus overnight marinating and chilling
COOK 4 hrs MORE EFFORT
1 kg oxtail, cut into 4 pieces small handful of thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves small bunch of parsley, leaves and stalks separated ½ tsp black peppercorns, roughly crushed
1 small star anise ½ bottle red wine
4 tbsp sun lower oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, bashed
1 tbsp plain lour
1 tbsp ketchup
2 litres beef stock, plus extra if needed
1 Up to two days before serving, tip the oxtail into a bowl and season with a little salt. Tie the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and parsley stalks together, and drop in along with the peppercorns and star anise. Pour in the wine. Cover and chill overnight, or for up to 48 hrs.
2 Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 4. Lift the oxtail out of the marinade, reserving the mixture. Heat half the oil in a large casserole pan and brown the oxtail all over (you may need to do this in batches). Transfer to a plate and set aside. Cook the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in the remaining oil until just starting to brown. Stir in the flour and ketchup, and cook to a thick paste. Pour in the reserved marinade and simmer for 1 min. Nestle the oxtail in the mix and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, skim any froth from the surface, cover and cook in the oven for 3 hrs 30 mins, stirring now and then until the meat is very tender.
3 Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly, then lift the oxtail from the broth and shred using two forks. Discard the bones, and transfer the meat to a bowl. Sieve the liquid into another bowl, then cover and chill overnight.
4 Remove and discard any fat that has solidified on top of the soup. Tip the broth into a saucepan and simmer until silky, adding a little more stock or water if the broth is too thick. Stir in the shredded meat until warmed through. Season, then ladle into bowls and scatter over some parsley leaves, if you like.
PER SERVING 303 kcals • fat 14g • saturates 1g • carbs 8g • sugars 4g • ibre 4g • protein 22g • salt 1.7g