Beef tea

Ingredients

• 2 kg beef rib bones
• 2 onions, halved
• 1 garlic bulb, halved
• 3 parsnips, quartered
• 2 carrots, quartered
• 1 tomato, halved
• 2 bay leaves
• leaves from 1 celery stalk
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 20 black peppercorns
• 2½ tbsp dry sherry (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place beef bones in a large roasting pan and roast, turning occasionally, for 1 hour or until browned all over. Add onions, garlic bulb, parsnips and carrots to pan in the last 30 minutes of baking.

Place beef bones and vegetables in a large saucepan or stockpot with tomato, bay leaves, celery leaves, thyme and peppercorns. Add enough water to cover by at least 2 cm. Bring to the boil, skimming off any scum and fat, then reduce heat to medium–low and simmer for at least 2 hours and up to 8, depending on how much time you have.

Strain through a fine sieve, discarding solids and skimming  off all except the last bit of fat, then season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a nip of sherry for those coming in from the fields, or fill up a Thermos of it to take the next time you venture into the great outdoors.

Photography by Alan Benson.