Oxtail Soup with Parmesan Herbed Dumplings

Let me give you 5 reasons to eat this Oxtail Soup, but you’re only going to really need one.

5.) It’s whole-beast eating. An animal gave its life for your meal, respect it by using as much as you can.

(On our farm even the parts we’re not into eating don’t go to waste and end up as dog food. There is virtually no flesh wasted here.)

4.) It’s nourishing. Full of the amazing health benefits of bone broth.

3.) The meat is amazing, rich, and tender. It will literally fall off the bone and melt in your mouth.

2.) The Parmesan Herb Dumplings are like little golden beacons that say, “Made with golden-orange egg yolks from free-range hens.” If you have eggs from free-range backyard hens, you’ll understand exactly why they are such a source of pride and joy for the modern homesteader.

1.) It is mind-blowingly delicious! As in, above all other cuts of steak and beef dishes I have ever eaten, THIS is the recipe I was most looking forward to when we butchered our grass-fed steer this month.

In fact, over the years it has become a family tradition that on butchering day on our homestead, while the menfolk are outside working, I’m inside chopping vegetables. Their first job is to prepare the tail to come inside for braising. Then after the long cold day outside, we know that when we come in Oxtail Soup will be waiting to warm us up from the inside out.

And no, contrary to the belief of Some People, the crap… sorry, manure hasn’t soaked into the meat through the skin like a nicotine patch. Any more than it does into your rump roast.  The skin is removed (just like the rest of beef), as is the case with cleaned chicken feet, guaranteeing your Oxtail Soup to be BS-Free.

When I’m done, I take the bones and add them along with another bone or two to the crockpot and make a batch of beef stock, just to make sure I get every little bit of goodness out of it.

Grab yourself a hunk of farmhouse sourdough bread for sopping up the broth and get this soup into your mouth ASAP.

Oxtail Soup with Parmesan Herbed Dumplings

Oxtail Soup with Parmesan Herbed Dumplings

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 oxtail, divided into manageable lengths
• 1 beef hock
• ¼ cup oil
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 small parsnips, chopped
• ½ cup red wine
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs thyme
• salt and pepper
• Herbed Dumplings
• 
1-1 ⅓ cups diced potatoes
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. In a dutch oven or cast iron skillet, brown the oxtail & “hock” in the oil. Season it with salt and pepper and sear each side. Transfer them to a plate.
2. Add the chopped vegetables, onions, carrots, celery, and parsnips to the dutch oven and cook them for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Season them with salt and pepper.
3. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. If you were using a skillet, transfer the vegetables and liquids to a stockpot.
5. Add 3 quarts of water, the meat, oregano, bay leaf, thyme, and tomato paste. Season with salt.
6. Simmer, covered, until the beef is tender, about 4 hours.
7. Remove the meat, pick it from off the bones, and return it to the soup pot.
8. For the dumplings, Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil.
9. Dice the potatoes and add them a small saucepan. Cover them with water and add a generous pinch of salt. Boil the potatoes until they’re tender, drain the water, and then mash them.
10. Gently stir in 2 eggs, the chopped parsley, flour, parmesan cheese, and garlic salt.
11. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it together for a couple minutes.
12. Tear off a quarter to half-dollar sized pieces and add them to the boiling water. Cook them for 8 minutes. Drain the water and serve them over the soup.

• Author: Reformation Acres

Enjoy!