A filosofia do nariz a rabo (A nose to tail Philosophy)

If one is a carnivore I think one should adopt (especially in these days of austerity) a nose to tail philosophy.If an animal gives up its life in order to feed us I feel the least we can do is honour that, and do our darn best to be creative and consume as much from it as we possibly can.My ever resourceful mother, who had been brought up on war-time rationing, made meals from most of the frowned upon and less accessible cuts.I watched her delight in marinating an ox tongue and then pressing it.As you are aware I recently cured and pressed an ox tongue.After that I have been on a bit of an oxtail roll.I cooked braised oxtail for a sunday lunch for friends and found myself with ample leftovers.Having saved the broth ( not the brine) that I had cooked the ox tongue in, I brought together some of the pieces of oxtail and boiled them down in the tongue stock (onion celery and carrot).The remaining meat was already falling off the bones and after boiling for an hour I then discarded the bones,added some of the left over gravy and ox meat and blitzed it all in the processor to produce a hearty warming winter soup.Served up with a glug of sherry( as mother always thought appropriate) one has a hearty and robust winter soup.
Apply the same principal to your christmas left overs and you can´t go wrong.