Hearty beef soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 beef shank(s)
• 2 beef marrow bones
• ½ celery root
• 2 carrots
• ½ stalk(s) leek
• 1 large onion(s)
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 4 juniper berries
• e.g. Parmesan rind, a few pieces if at hand
• some salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 40 minutes

according to an original recipe from grandpa from Apulia

Rinse the leg pieces and marrow bones under cold water and soak them in a large bowl of water for about 30 minutes, then drain. Meanwhile, clean the vegetables. Cut the celery into thumb-sized cubes, and cut the carrots, leeks, and onions into roughly 1/2-cm-thick slices or rings. Place the meat and bones in a large pot with about 2 liters of cold water. When the water starts to heat up, a gray-brown foam will rise. Skim this off with a large spoon or slotted spoon and discard. When the liquid is boiling and no more foam is forming, add the vegetables and juniper berries. Season with 1 tablespoon of salt and a few turns of the pepper mill. Finely chop the parsley, including the stems, and add it (if you don’t like it as it is, you can add it in bunches; this will make it easier to remove later). Cook for about 5 minutes over full heat, then reduce to medium and simmer uncovered for at least 2 hours. Tip: If you have more time, you can simmer for 3 hours; the meat will be even more tender this way. The liquid should be reduced by half. Then remove the leg pieces and bones and cut the meat into small cubes. Return the meat and bones to the pot. Now add the pieces of Parmesan rind (first scrape off the top surface of the cheese rind with a knife to remove the protective layer from the Parmesan). Pasta shells go particularly well with this soup. Tips: I serve a marrow bone in every bowl of soup (we like this, but it can be omitted). The Parmesan rind has a bit of a chewing gum consistency, but it tastes particularly good and is always hotly contested in our house.