There is a secret to any good soup like this. I will tell you all about it in this recipe. This oxtail and lamb neck soup is a true delicacy. An easy family meal that is delicious served with some nice rustic bread like sourdough, but any crusty bread will do, and do not forget the chillies if you are a spice addict like I am.
If you wondered what can you cook with a lamb neck or an oxtail, look no further. A soup like this is a perfect choice.
This Oxtail and lamb neck soup is the perfect winter warmer. Invest a little in the cooking time and you’ll get rewarded with an adorable and absolutely lovely rich soup that will definitely make the most of this cheaper cut of meat.
Why oxtail and lamb neck soup?
Well, good question!
I was telling you earlier that I will tell you a secret about any good meat soup. Yes! Here I am! The secret is that try and add as much bone as possible to any meat soup if you aim for the rich flavours.
A meat soup with no bone will always taste like there is something missing unless you have a good stock that will make the whole difference, otherwise, please do add bones to your soup without second thoughts. Here is more on lamb cuts.
How to make this oxtail and lamb neck soup?
It is a simple soup to make but requires a few steps to follow to get the best outcome, flavour and colour wise. This is really what matters when it comes to a soup that has tomato added to it.
I only add a few vegetables like a soffrito mix (onion, celery and carrot)
Oxtail is no longer cheap
It's ironic that a cut of meat that's always been connected with economical cooking (no part of the animal should be wasted as part of being efficient and inexpensive, has definitely turned a different corner. It has been lately rediscovered by demand I guess and there's only one tail per cow after all, right?
Yes, lamb neck is a cheaper and more budget-friendly cut so, definitely look for it. It makes a beautiful soup indeed, so, why not?
Remove the meat off the bone if the bone is a no-no in your family. We do not mind the bones and sucking all the delicious juices out of them 😉
What is lovage?
Lovage is an amazing herb if you ask me. I am not sure if you can find it everywhere in the world, I know it has been cultivated all across Europe since the early days. Its taste's totally unique. This wonderful herb tastes more like a blend of celery, with a hint of parsley and anise.
Lovage is normally available from around April till September/ October. It is best to store it by freezing it whenever available. It is a seasonal herb but amazing to have in hand as the flavour this delivers to any soup is unbeatable and totally unique. A truly fantastic herb for any soup, fish or chicken. Please take my word for it.
Here is my garden lovage 😉
FAQs
Oxtail and lamb neck soup can be cooked in advance and stored like any beef soup, which means it's safe to refrigerate, stored in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.
This soup does freeze well, so if you wish to freeze it, do so once it has fully cooled. Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
The answer is yes, definitely. I do cook it many times in instapot. This is how.
1. Firstly, wash the meat thoroughly, cook it in the instapot in the required water amount with half of the salt amount for an initial 15 min.
2. Depressurise the pot. This has to be done safely and only if you know how to do it safely, otherwise wait for it to naturally depressurise.
3. Once depressurised, add the veggies chopped nicely and all the other ingredients. Set the instapot for another 15 minutes and you may place the lid back on or cook it lidless.
The difference will be in the colour - you will get a deep red colour if cooked without the lid. Additionally, if cooked without the lead you can add ingredients gradually and herbs right at the end.
If you decide to cook with the lid, you will need to add all ingredients at once place the lid back on and cook for the extra 15 min. Season it at the end once the pot has depressurised, add the chopped herbs and serve immediately.
Other soup recipes you may like:
Oxtail and lamb neck soup with fresh lovage
Equipment
- pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1.5 litres water or stock (50 floz) beef stock is best but vegetable stock is as good
- 700g lamb neck (1.5lb) sliced by butchers
- 700g oxtail (1.5lb) ask the butcher to slice it
- 2 larger onions finely chopped
- 2 med carrots diced
- 1 med parsnip diced
- 3 sticks celery diced
- 2 med peppers cored and diced
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp thyme fresh or dried
- 3 sprigs lovage fresh or frozen
- 1/2 tbsp salt kosher or Himalayan
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Precook the lamb neck and the oxtail together in a pressure cooker for 15 min. If you do not have a pressure cooker, boil in water on medium heat, covered for 40 minutes with some salt.
- Place a larger pot on medium heat.
- Add the onions as well as the precooked meat. Add a drizzle of water (or oil if you wish- I never add oil when I cook with meat). Sweat the onions for approximately 5 minutes. You can drizzle some of the stock from cooking the meat, this will have some oil at the top which you may gather and add to cook the onions initially. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Add some more liquid if required.
- While the meat and the onions cook, dice all the remaining vegetables and add all to the onions and the meat. Cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
- Add the salt, pepper, paprika, 1/2 tsp thyme and cook for a further 5 minutes stirring occasionally and adding more liquid if required.
- Add the tomato paste and the chopped tomatoes and stir in until homogenised. Cook for a further 10 minutes until juices have run out. This step is important if you like a nice deep colour.
- Pour in the beef stock left from cooking the meat and stir. Cook on medium fire covered for approximately 20 minutes and a further 10-15 minutes uncovered.
- Chop the fresh herbs (lovage ideally but parsley or cilantro will also do if you do not have any lovage) and add it just before turning the heat off.
- Serve hot with a nice rustic, crusty sourdough or a French baguette and of course for the chilli addicts like me with some nice fresh or pickled chillies. Mmmm! So delicious!
Notes
Nutrition
Bianca says
Yummm what a delicious soup! Definitely gonna be making this again
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
After our latest snowfall last night, I am craving a wonderfully hearty soup like this one. It looks absolutely delicious!
Ramona says
Thanks Cindy, so glad you loved my lamb neck soup 😉 it really is a delicious soup.
Chef Mireille says
ox tails is part of Caribbean culture and we used to cook it often but now it is so expensive!!!! I have always wondered what lovage tastes like whenever I see it at the farmers market. Definitely will be trying this delicious recipe (though I may be replacing the ox tails with a cheaper piece of meat) if no other reason - now I have a reason to try out lovage 🙂
Lisa says
I really love both oxtail and lamb, I’m excited to use it in this soup! Thanks for the great recipe!
A Lam says
I'd like to give it a try but can you tell me how I can modify it for an Instant Pot?
Ramona says
I will add in the recipe text how to cook in the instapot. I should have thought about adding this. Thanks for asking Amy!