My choice of soup to make was a thickened beef soup with boiled dumplings.
To start, I made my own beef broth for the soup a day before because of the time it would take to make. I placed about a pound and a half of oxtail on aluminum foil on a baking tray covered in olive oil. I baked the meat in the oven at 400°F until browned which takes around 40 minutes. After bringing the oxtail out of the oven, I started preparing the aromatic vegetables. I cut a half of a medium onion into fours and 3 pieces of a carrot 2 inches long each. In a pot I placed the oxtail in and filled the water until it was just above the oxtail, setting it to a boil for 5 minutes on medium, placing the vegetables soon after, pouring the remaining amount of water and submerging everything then lowering the stove to low, and simmering for 4 hours. Broth can sometimes take up to twelve hours but because I was making broth for two servings so I simmered the meat and vegetables for significantly less time. Fifteen minutes after simmering I decided to add a pinch of salt to increase the waters boiling points to prevent it from drying up. I routinely checked on the broth to trim any fat rising to the surface. After simmering I poured the broth into a container and refrigerated overnight. I extracted and refrigerated the oxtail and carrots to use for later.
The next day I was ready to prepare the soup. I sauteed potatoes, onions, carrots and a bit of garlic. I cooked 4 pieces of beef, cut into cubes, until brown and tender then put them aside on a plate. In a saucepan I cooked the roux, placing the butter in first until it melted and mixed it with equal parts flour with a whisked until the roux was light brown. I slowly incorporated the broth while whisking until it was finished, and kept whisking until homogeneous. I made too much roux proportional the soup because the soup was slightly thinker than I intended it to be. I added the beef then the vegetables and left in on the oven on low-medium to form the dumplings. In the bowl I made a small crevasse in the middle of the flour, baking powder and sea salt to pour water into. I flicked the surrounding flour into the water to created the dough, kneading it one or two time times then forming them into small disks and gently dipping them into the soup. I stirred it once more and let it simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, garnished with parsley then served.
The soup had only a hint of onion and garlic and was never over bearing. The broth alone was very rich and had a nice consistency and paired nicely with the beef. The dumplings acted as a side dish, I would periodically scoop a piece of it with the spoon and eat a spoonful of it and the soup itself. The beef was a bit too chewy, I might have left it to simmer too long after adding the dumplings.
