2kilo's thickchunky beef bones. Ask your butcher very sweetly if he'll saw them into 4" pieces for you
Cold water
Salt & pepper
The Soup
600gonionsthinly sliced
4garlic clovesminced
A pinch of sugar
1litre of beef stock
275mlred wine1 glass
Salt & Pepper
Instructions
The Stock
Preheat the oven to 220/425/gas 7
Place the bones in a large roasting tin and cook for an hour. Halfway through, ladle the pan juices over the bones to help them colour nicely.
Pop the bones into a large stock pot, and pour over all those lovely juices too. Season well with salt & pepper and just cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and immediately turn the heat down to low and very gently simmer for 4-5 hours. Skim off any scum during cooking as necessary.
When the time is up, remove the bones & strain the liquid into a large jug or pan. Let cool to room temperature before popping in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, the fat will have solidified and be easy to remove. You'll be left with a big bowl of jellied meaty stock for which you'll need 1 litre to make the soup and the rest can be frozen for another day.
The Soup
Melt the fat or butter in a large pan until very hot. Add the onions, garlic & sugar and cook on high for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are colouring nicely.
Turn the heat right down low and cook for a further 30-40 minutes.
Next pour in the stock and the wine and season well with salt & pepper. Bring to the boil and immediately turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and leave for 1 more hour. Yep, I told you this was time consuming!
Serve with cheese on toast or cheesy croutons if you are a lactose happy traditionalist or a good quality bread toasted if not. Either way it'll be yummy, and even yummier the following day.