Scottish Oxtail Soup Recipes

OXTAIL SOUP I

Steps:

• Rehydrate dried mushrooms in hot water for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain, and slice.
• Trim all fat off oxtails. Spread on a shallow roasting pan. Roast at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Drain off fat, reserving about 2 tablespoons.
• Add 1 cup of water to roasting pan in which oxtails were browned. Heat, stirring constantly, to dissolve browned bit. Reserve.
• In a large stock pot, saute onion, carrots, parsnip, mushrooms and turnip in reserved fat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add browned oxtails. Drizzle brandy over the saute. Ignite.
• Pour reserved water and browning over the oxtails and vegetables. Add remaining 5 cups of water. Add savory, bay leaf, barley, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, and then reduce heat. Cover, and simmer slowly for 2 hours. Adjust seasonings.

MEXICAN OXTAIL BEEF SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, and brown the oxtails and beef stew meat on all sides. Add water to cover the meat, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. Skim off and discard any foam that collects at the top.
• Drop in the bouillon cube, onion, celery, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and corn ears, stir to combine, and simmer the soup until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Stir in the carrots and potatoes, simmer for 30 more minutes, then stir in the lentils, rice, mixed vegetables, and cabbage. Simmer until the rice, lentils, and cabbage are tender, about 30 more minutes. Serve with a half ear of corn in each bowl, with hot steamed tortillas for dipping in the broth.

OXTAIL SOUP

Steps:

• Put oxtail in a pot with water to cover and add tomatoes, cinnamon, star anise, soy sauce, coriander and cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat, then adjust the heat so it simmers steadily but not violently; cook until tender; stir occasionally, and add more boiling water if needed to keep meat covered. Cook until tender, about 2 hours.
• If using crisp onion garnish, put oil in an 8- or 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and stir occasionally, until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
• When meat is done, add chili and lime juice; taste and adjust seasoning. Spoon into individual bowls, and garnish with cilantro and scallion. If you are using onions, garnish soup with them and serve.

SCOTTISH OXTAIL SOUP

Steps:

• To make the spice bag, place 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs thyme, 4 large sprigs parsley (including stalks), one 4-inch piece celery stalked with leaves, and two whole green onions in the center of a square of double thickness cheesecloth.
• Fold up the sides of the cheesecloth and tie off the top very tightly to make a spice bag.
• (Equivalent dry herbs may be substituted).
• Fry the oxtail pieces and the vegetables in the fat for a few minutes until lightly browned.
• Remove from heat.
• Pour the beef stock into a saucepan and add the fried oxtail and vegetables as well as the spice bag.
• Bring to the boil, and then transfer to a crockpot and cook on high for 1½- 2 hours (or longer if necessary) until the meat is tender.
• Strain the stock, cut all the meat (in small pieces) from the bones and then return the stock and meat to the pan.
• Bring to the boil.
• Puree.
• Mix the flour and port together and add to the soup.
• Simmer for 5 minutes before serving.

OXTAIL SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter, add pieces of tail in a large stockpot.
• When the meat begins to brown, add onion.
• When onion is a deep gold, add stock, carrot, celery, tomatoes, wine and herbs tied securely in a cheesecloth bag.
• Season with remaining ingredients and simmer until meat is very tender, about 3 hours.
• Remove herbs.
• Separate meat of the oxtail from the bones; discard bones.
• Reheat soup and serve with a little of the meat in each bowl.

HEARTY OXTAIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a stockpot, saute the oxtails, carrots, onion, celery, leeks and green pepper in butter until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the tomatoes, bouillon, seasonings and water. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2-3 hours or until the meat is tender. , Stir in barley; cover and continue to simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Add additional water if necessary. , Remove oxtails; set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones; discard bones and cut meat into cubes. Return meat to soup. Garnish with parsley.

OXTAIL SOUP

Steps:

• Up to two days ahead, tip the oxtail into a bowl and season with a little salt. Tie the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and parsley stalks together and put in the bowl with the peppercorns and star anise. Pour over the wine, then cover and chill for up to 48 hrs.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 4. Lift the oxtail out of the marinade, reserving the mixture. Heat a drizzle of the oil in a large casserole pan and, in batches if needed, brown the oxtail. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add another drizzle of oil and cook the carrots, onion, celery and garlic until just starting to brown. Stir in the flour and ketchup and cook until you have a thick paste. Pour over the reserved marinade and simmer for 1 min. Nestle the oxtail back in the pan and pour over as much stock as you can, chilling any extra to use later. Bring everything to a gentle boil, scoop off any froth then cover and place in the oven for 3 hrs 30 mins, stirring once or twice until the meat is very tender.
• Remove the soup from the oven and leave to cool slightly, then lift the oxtail from the broth and shred the meat using two forks. Discard the bones and transfer the meat to a bowl. Sieve the liquid into another bowl, then cover and chill overnight.
• Remove and discard any fat that has solidified on top of the soup. Tip the broth into a saucepan and simmer until silky, adding more stock if the broth is too thick. Stir through the shredded meat until warmed through. Season to taste, then ladle into bowls and scatter over some parsley leaves, if you like.