Bacon and Oxtail Soup

Mmmm...there's nothing like a plate of bacon on a Sunday morning.

We had to clear the fridge and fortify ourselves for a day of apartment hunting, so I fried up the better part of a pack of Niman Ranch bacon and the two of us went to town. Bacon really is a magical food.

We washed it down with leftover oxtail soup. Soup is always better the next day, and this was actually best almost a day and a half after I made it. Oxtail soup is high on my list of favorite soups because of the balance of sweet vegetables, fall-apart beef chunks, and the rich gelatinous soup. Here's a short recipe:

• 1 oxtail, about 3 pounds. The butcher will slice it into chunks for you
• 1/2 to 1 bulb garlic, peeled and slightly chopped
• 1 very large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 3 stems celery, diced (about 1 cup)
• 3 carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1-12 oz. can tomatoes (you can pick sliced, diced, or crushed)
• 1-6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried thyme, or a few sprigs fresh
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper

Rinse off the oxtail and put in a gallon of water. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Stir and skim regularly, until no skum boils to the surface. Simmer for 2 hours, or until the meat is tender enough to stick with a fork but not yet falling off the bone. Add all the vegetables and herbs, bring back to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for at least another hour. There's really no way to overcook this, and you can leave the cover on or off the pot depending if you want a more watery soup or a thicker stew. If you like, add pasta in the last ten minutes to make this a one pot meal.