Thickened Veal Knuckle Soup With Root Vegetables

Ingredients

• 6 lbs knuckle of veal
• 0.5 lb bacon, sliced ½ inch thick
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 turnips, chopped
• 1 head celery, chopped
• 2 large onions
• 3 cloves
• 12 grains black pepper
• 12 grains Jamaica pepper
• 1 bunch lemon thyme
• 1 bunch winter savory
• 1 bunch parsley
• Cold water
• 3 tbsp reserved fat from soup
• 4 tbsp flour

Method

1. 1 Place bacon slices in the bottom of a large soup kettle. Add the veal knuckle with the bone chopped into sections.
2. 2 Add carrots, turnips, celery, onions, cloves, peppercorns, and herbs. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. 3 Skim off impurities, then reduce heat to low. Simmer gently until the meat is very tender, about 4 hours.
4. 4 Remove meat and bacon. Strain the broth and cool it. Skim and discard the fat from the surface.
5. 5 For thickening, mix 3 tbsp of the reserved fat with 4 tbsp flour. Whisk in a ladle of hot broth, then stir the mixture back into the pot. Boil until smooth.
6. 6 Cut the veal and bacon into bite-sized pieces. Return them to the soup and heat through before serving.