Oxtail Soup
A super nourishing soup for when you need it
Last week, I had a tough week. Lots of colds being passed around my house and some personal challenges that had me all around under the weather. My neighbor, whom I get lots of great inspiration from, told me she loves to make oxtail soup when her family is in rough shape. It’s a simple recipe that simmers oxtails with aromatics to make a very rich beef bone broth. Then you cook veggies in the broth until tender and add in some noodles. She likes to follow Maangchi’s recipe. I also looked at Woks Of Life’s version - they never disappoint me. My version is inspired by them but just simplified and uses ingredients that are always in my pantry. This recipe is a great base to adjust with what kind of vegetables you like. If you can’t find frozen udon, fresh ramen or soba noodles would make a great substitution. Maybe the best feature of this soup is that although it requires time to cook, the steps are simple and can be done throughout the day - making it an ideal work from home recipe.
Oxtails
Maybe you’ve had oxtails out at a restaurant but have never cooked them at home. They are not too dissimilar to other cuts that have a lot of connective tissue and require a long slow cook like beef shanks or osso buco. Once cooked until super tender the meat that falls off the bone is absolutely mouth watering. And the bones make for a really rich and flavorful broth. Comfort all around. I bought my oxtails at my local farmers market and they came frozen. But most butchers and even Whole Foods carry them too. The recipe calls for you to trim the excess fat off the oxtails. This way your broth is not too fatty. But don’t throw it away! I’m storing mine in the freezer and plan to add it to a pot of black beans or a Sunday sauce.
What I’m Loving This Week:
Neon Gaf Tape: I get a lot of comments on instagram asking me what kind of tape I use to label leftover containers and sometimes boxes of homemade cookies. It’s GAF tape which can be purchased on Amazon. You don't need a scissors to cut it and it peels off of containers easily after you're done storing. The neon colors are fun and bright and look great against the kraft paper boxes I use to package up cookies and sweets.
Scrambled Egg with Chili Crisp: Simple. Soft scrambled pasture raised eggs, cooked in grass fed butter with chili crisp on top. That has been my go-to breakfast lately.
