OX TAIL SOUP Recipe Please?

Aloha, my friend! Here is an Austrian version my grandma used to cook.

1 tbsp. fat

1 parsley root

2 carrots

1/2 celery root

1 small onion (or 3-4 shallots)

peppercorns

2 small oxtails, split

3/4 pound beef bones (best with marrow)

2 quarts water

salt to taste (Hawaiian sea salt is best, of course!)

1 1/2 pounds vegetables (usually peas, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, asparagus tips)

1 tbsp. butter

fresh mushrooms (in Austria, they use porcini, but shiitake are great also), sliced.

Heat fat. Add sliced vegetables (through onions) and brown. Add peppercorns after starting. Just before vegetables are browned, add cut-up oxtail, beef bones and some salt, fry until done, then add water. Boil about 1 1/2 hours, until meat is tender.

Remove meat from bones, cut up and reserve. Let soup cool, strain fat off the top, and strain if you like a clear soup. Remove all bone fragments if you don't strain. Saute mushrooms in butter, add and cook all vegetables, add meat. Add sherry or red wine to taste. Add some beef reduction and more salt if desired.

OXTAIL SOUP

4 pounds oxtails

2 pounds beef or pork bones

2 carrots

2 onions

5 cloves garlic

1 or 2 celery stalks

1 leek

2 bay leaves

2 to 3 tablespoons each butter and olive oil

potatoes (optional)

flour or other thickener (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

In a stockpot or heavy cast-iron Dutch oven, brown 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, two or three carrots, two onions cut into slices, and herbs to season.

When vegetables begin to take on color remove from the stockpot and set aside.

Replenish olive oil and butter if need be and add 4 pounds of oxtails, and about 2 pounds gelatinous bones. Brown, turning and basting - do not allow to dry. The browning step can also be accomplished by roasting in the oven.

After the oxtails take on sufficiently roasted color, add five cloves garlic and brown for 10 minutes. When the garlic becomes roasted, mash it into the oil. Add water, only enough to cover. Return the carrots, onions, and add two bay leaves, a rib or two of celery cut into inch pieces, a chopped leek if you have one, a sprig of thyme and other herbs of your choice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer on the lowest heat for 3-3 1/2 hours.

You can add quartered potatoes during the last half hour of cooking. If you like a richer stock, thicken with cornstarch or Wondra during the last hour.

If you enjoy more flavor, add a tablespoon of catsup or a fresh tomato during the final hour of cooking.