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Ingredients

3-4 lbs oxtails, patted dry
Salt and pepper
2 onions, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, cut into 1-inch sections
Zest of one orange, removed in strips with a vegetable peeler
1 cup dry white wine
4 quarts water
1/3 cup fresh cranberries
10 oz mushrooms, chopped coarse
3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch sections
4 sprigs of thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
1 teaspoon peppercorns

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large roasting pan combine the oxtails, patted dry and seasoned with salt and pepper, the onions, the carrots, and the zest. Roast mixture in the middle of the oven, turning the oxtails are browned, and transfer it to a large stockpot.

2 Deglaze the roasting pan with the wine over high heat, scraping up the brown bits, and add the deglazing liquid to the stockpot with the water, cranberries, mushrooms, celery, thyme, bay leaf, cloves, and peppercorns. Bring the liquid to a boil, skimming the froth, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 3 hours.

3 Ladle the mixture through a sieve lined with a rinsed and squeezed kitchen towel into a large bowl. Reserve the oxtails for another use, such as oxtail pate. Discard the remaining solids. The bouillon can be made 3 days in advance and kept chilled. Discard excess fat (leave enough to cover soup when chilled). Bring the bouillon just to a boil and ladle it into warmed bowls.

Makes 8 cups. Serves 6 to 8.