Feeling winter’s chill? Warm yourself up with these comforting ideas
Oxtail soup
Forget canned soup – this homemade version has richer flavour. The recipe requires a little more effort, but if you can spare the time, it’s well worth it.
SERVES 6 PREP 25 mins plus overnight marinating and chilling COOK 4 hrs MORE EFFORT
1½kg 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 sunflower oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, bashed
1 tbsp plain flour
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 3. Lift the oxtail out of the marinade, reserving what’s leftover. Heat half the oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat 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 until you have a thick paste. Pour in the reserved marinade and simmer for 1 min. Return the oxtail to the mixture and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, skim any froth from the surface and cover. Transfer to the oven and cook 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 the soup. Tip the broth into a saucepan and simmer until silky, adding a little more stock if the broth is too thick. Stir in the shredded meat and warm through. Season, then ladle into bowls and scatter over the parsley leaves.
PER SERVING 303 kcals • fat 14g • saturates 1g • carbs 8g • sugars 4g • fibre 4g • protein 22g • salt 1.7g
Microwave crab risotto with chilli crab toasts
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