Adapted from Chef George Albiez, Ivy Tech Culinary Arts Instructor

Make this soup a day ahead of time to allow it to chill and be reheated.

Preheat the oven to 325°. Simmer the red wine in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced by half. Combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Dredge oxtail in the seasoned flour and shake off the excess; set aside. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown oxtail on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove oxtail from the pot and set aside. Turn the heat to medium-low and melt another 1 tablespoon of butter in the pot. Stir in shallots, garlic, onion, carrot and celery; add salt to taste. 

Cook and stir until the vegetables have softened. Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, parsley and beef broth and reduced wine. Place the browned oxtail on top of the vegetables in a single layer then bring them to a boil on top of the stove. Add more broth as needed. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and put it in the oven. Simmer in the oven for 3½–4 hours, until the meat is very tender. Chill the stew and strain off excess fat with a spoon. 

Reheat, remove the meat from the bones and place in a bowl, set aside. Strain out the used herbs and aromatics. Put the meat and the uncooked carrots back into the pot. Turn the heat to medium and cook the carrots until tender. Add salt to taste and garnish with fresh thyme.

Serves 4

Find Chef Albiez’s tips for making beef stock from scratch and our recipes for easy Slow Cooker Stocks here.