Oxtail and cabbage soup

One of the reasons fall is my favorite season is the soups you can make thanks to the change in weather. I'm not terribly interested in making a hearty, warming soup for a sunny, 80-degree day, but on a gloomy, 40-degree day, a bowl of slowly-cooked oxtail soup is something to look forward to after a long day at work or on a quiet Sunday evening. Oxtails are one of those fairly cheaper, tougher meats that call for longer cooking in a lot of liquid. Once the meat gets to its tenderest stage, it is amazingly soft and flavorful--and messy, but really satisfying, to get off the bones. The broth picks up flavor from the oxtail in addition to the vegetables and tomatoes in the soup.