Winter Warmer - Paul West's Oxtail Soup

As seen on the stage of Regional Flavours, Southbank 21st July 2019. You'll note I don't have a photo of the dish as it was on the stage, but I did get a pic of myself with Paul before the show ;).

Paul is very funny and knowledgeable about pastured meats, their benefits, and how to cook them. It was a very entertaining cooking demo to say the least!

Hope you enjoy the recipe. Drop me a line to let me know what you think. It is also a great combo for other slow cooked meats too.

Skye (HighBrit Beef) with Paul West (River Cottage Australia)

Oxtail soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

1kg of oxtail pieces

1 onion, roughly diced

1 carrot, cut in half lengthways and then sliced into half moons

2 sticks of celery, sliced

1 head of garlic, cut in half lengthways

1 tbsp of smoked paprika

2 fresh bay leaves

½ bunch of thyme

1 tsp of black peppercorns

2l of good beef stock (water or stock cubes in an absolute pinch)

4 potatoes, roughly diced

½ bunch of parsley, roughly chopped

Method

Place a heavy casserole dish on the stove over a high heat and add a good splash of your preferred cooking oil (I like to use olive oil or tallow (beef fat)). Lay the oxtail into the casserole, being careful not to over crowd them, you may have to cook it in a couple of batches. As the oxtail is cooking, season it generously with salt and pepper, and cook it for 3-5 minutes on each side so that the meat is nicely browned.

Once the meat is golden brown, remove it from the casserole, reduce the heat to medium and then add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, smoked paprika, bay leaves, thyme and peppercorns. Cook for 5-7 minutes so that the veggies have started to soften and then pour in the beef stock, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any crusty bits that may have stuck to the bottom.

Return the oxtail to the casserole along with the potatoes and bring the liquid up to a simmer. Once it’s started to gently bubble, reduce the heat to low and cook for 2-3 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Have a taste and add a little more salt or pepper if you think it needs it.

Ladle the soup into bowls, bones and all and sprinkle over some of the parsley to finish.