A Thick Ox-tail (or Dum-Ká) Soup

Ingredients

• 1 batch Ox-tail soup (prepared from recipe 107, including the cooked ox-tail joints and strained broth) (You need both the strained liquid broth and the cooked ox-tail joints with their meat. See inline steps below for preparation.)
• 1 piece (approximately 1 tablespoon / 15 g) Butter (A 'piece' in historical recipes typically means roughly one tablespoon. Use unsalted butter if preferred.)
• 2 dessertspoonfuls (approximately 2 teaspoons) Plain (all-purpose) flour (A dessertspoon is between a teaspoon and a tablespoon — approximately 2 teaspoons or 10 ml each.)
• 1 glass (approximately 125 ml / ½ cup) Port wine (A standard wine glass measure. Use a ruby or tawny port.)
• 1 dessertspoonful (approximately 2 teaspoons) Red currant jelly (Adds a subtle fruity sweetness. Available in most supermarkets near the jams.)
• 1 dessertspoonful (approximately 2 teaspoons) Anchovy vinegar (A flavoured vinegar made by steeping anchovies. If unavailable, substitute with an equal measure of Worcestershire sauce or a mixture of white wine vinegar with a small amount of anchovy paste.)

Instructions

1. 1Follow your ox-tail soup recipe (Recipe 107) to produce a fully cooked ox-tail soup. Once done, strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve or colander into a large bowl, reserving all the liquid as your broth. Set aside the cooked ox-tail joints and any other solid pieces of meat — do not discard them. You should now have a bowl of hot broth and a pile of cooked ox-tail joints.
2. 2Look at the surface of your bowl of strained broth. You will likely see a layer of fat floating on top. Skim it off carefully using a large spoon or ladle, tilting the bowl slightly to gather the fat at one edge. Take your time — removing as much fat as possible will give you a cleaner, less greasy soup. Discard the skimmed fat. Tip: If you have time, placing the broth in the refrigerator for 30 minutes will cause the fat to solidify on top, making it much easier to lift off in one piece.
3. 3Take the reserved cooked ox-tail joints from Step 1. Pick all the meat off the bones with your fingers or a fork — the meat should be very tender and fall away easily. Discard the bones and any cartilage. Place all the meat into a mortar (or a food processor if you don't have one) and pound or blitz it into a smooth paste. Once it is as smooth as you can make it, press it firmly through a fine-mesh sieve using the back of a spoon. This removes any remaining fibres and gives the soup a silky texture. The resulting smooth meat paste is what you will add to the soup later — this is called the 'paste' in subsequent steps.
4. 4Place a large, heavy-bottomed pot (your Degchá, or any large saucepan) over medium heat. Add the piece of butter (approximately 1 tablespoon / 15 g) and let it melt completely, swirling the pan gently. Once the butter is melted and beginning to foam, add the two dessertspoonfuls (approximately 2 teaspoons) of plain flour all at once. Stir vigorously and continuously with a wooden spoon or whisk for about 1–2 minutes, making sure the flour is fully absorbed into the butter. The mixture should look like a pale, smooth paste (this is called a roux). Keep stirring so the flour does not burn — it should smell nutty but not bitter. This roux is what will thicken your soup.
5. 5With the roux still in the pot over medium heat, begin adding the defatted broth from Step 2 gradually — pour in a ladleful at a time while stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Once about half the broth is incorporated and the mixture is smooth, you can add the rest of the broth in one go and stir well. Now add the smooth meat paste from Step 3 and stir it in thoroughly so it is evenly distributed. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a full boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, you will notice the soup has thickened noticeably. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
6. 6With the soup at a gentle simmer, pour in the glass of port (approximately 125 ml / ½ cup). Then add the dessertspoonful (approximately 2 teaspoons) of red currant jelly and the dessertspoonful (approximately 2 teaspoons) of anchovy vinegar. These three ingredients add depth, a touch of fruity sweetness, and a savoury tang that balance the richness of the soup. Stir everything together well to ensure the jelly dissolves fully into the hot liquid.
7. 7Keep the soup over low heat and stir continuously for approximately one minute to make sure all the ingredients are fully combined and the soup is smooth and uniform. Taste the soup — it should be rich, deeply savoury, slightly sweet from the jelly, and have a gentle tang from the anchovy vinegar and port. Ladle into warmed soup bowls and serve immediately.