Make it yourself: oxtail broth

As a base for a beef stew, noodle soup or to make a beautiful sauce. Making your own oxtail broth is easier than you think, and so much tastier than a stock cube. 

The hours of simmering allow the gelatin from the bones to provide a wonderfully rich mouthfeel. The vegetables, herbs and, not forgetting, the splash of Madeira take care of the rest. The tail may not yield much meat, but picking it off is more than worth it. Those little pieces give the soup that extra bite.

Veal cheeks are an optional but lovely addition for more meat and flavour. Simply let them simmer along, pick the meat off and mix it with the rest. This recipe is partly my own and partly Escoffier’s. My favourite thing to make with it? This oxtail cappuccino.

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the oxtail in a roasting tin and roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Then put the oxtail in a large pan and add water.

Optionally, add veal cheeks for more flavour and meat. Bring to the boil. Lower the heat so that the broth stays just below boiling point. Skim the surface several times. Then add the vegetables, salt, pepper, herbs and spices. Bring to the boil again, then leave to simmer over low heat for about 4 hours.

Remove the oxtail (and veal cheek, if using) from the pan and pick the meat from the bones. Keep it covered for later. Remove the vegetables from the pan. Strain the broth using a damp (straining) cloth. Return the soup to the heat. Remove the solidified layer of fat. Add the Madeira. Taste and season with salt, pepper and, if desired, a little extra Madeira.