Instructions: Blanch the oxtail in boiling water for 3 minutes, just enough to take the red colour away from the surface. Drain, put the oxtail pieces on a rack in a roasting pan and place under the grill for 15 minutes each side until nice and brown.

Pour the oil into a large saucepan on medium heat and fry the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, coat the vegetables well, and cook until the paste darkens. Add the stock, wine, oxtails, peppercorns, parsley, thyme and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.

During the last half hour of simmering, pour the 6 cups of water into a large soup pot, bring to a boil, stir in the barley and boil for 25 minutes. Add the carrots and turnips and boil for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and set aside.

Transfer the cooked oxtail to a chopping board. Remove the meat from the bones, keeping it in fairly large chunks, discarding any visible fat.

Strain the stock into another saucepan, discarding the solids.

Add the meat, turn the heat to medium-high, add the vegetable-barley mixture, the mushrooms and the cup of reserved vegetable-barley water and just heat through.

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