Beef broth

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 kg beef (e.g. boiled beef)
• 3 liters of water
• 2 large onions
• 2 beef marrow bones
• 500 g carrot(s)
• 1 celeriac, approx. 700 g
• 1 leek(s)
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 4 carnations
• 5 peppercorns
• 4 juniper berries
• 1 bay leaf
• some thyme, fresh
• some lovage, fresh
• n. B. Salt
• e.g. nutmeg, freshly grated
• some oil, neutral, for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes

just like in my childhood – the best recipe for flu and cold days

Boil the beef marrow bones in a small pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes to remove any dirt. Then rinse briefly under clean running water and set aside. Wash and halve the onions, leaving the skin on (this gives them a great color). In a large pot, sear the cut surfaces with the beef in a little oil (they should be brown, but not black!). Sear the meat all over once (without salt or pepper!). Then add the bones and carefully top up with water. The amount of water can vary, but you should add at least 2 liters of liquid. Let the broth simmer for 2 hours at a low heat. Skim off the foam occasionally, as it will cloud the soup. After 2 hours, clean half of the carrots and celery and chop into large pieces. Also clean all of the leeks and chop them into large pieces. Separate the parsley from the stems and set the leaves aside (I use the leaves for the carrot mixture after the soup; if you don’t like that, you can leave the parsley whole). Place the spices (lovage, thyme, peppercorns, juniper berries, cloves, bay leaves) in a tea infuser and add them to the broth along with the vegetables and parsley. Let it simmer for another hour. Trim the remaining carrots and celery and cut them into small cubes. After a total of 3 hours of cooking time, remove the meat and keep it warm, discarding the marrow bones. Save the tea infuser with the spices (!). Strain the broth through a clean kitchen towel and collect the clear broth. Discard any overcooked vegetables. Briefly clean the pot and pour the broth back into the pot. Add the remaining fresh vegetables and the tea infuser. Add salt if desired and bring to a boil briefly. Then season with a little nutmeg and simmer for another 15-20 minutes at very low heat. Tip: If you feel there’s not enough liquid at this point, you can add a little more water. But then let the soup simmer for another 30 minutes for flavor. The soup can be served with soup noodles, the meat (removing any tendons or fat beforehand, if desired), or semolina dumplings. The soup is also great for making ahead. However, we always serve the meat, especially boiled beef, as a “main course” with carrots and horseradish. One last tip: 3 hours of cooking time is the minimum to get reasonably tender meat. The longer the cooking time, the softer the meat and the more intense the soup.