Method:

Stock (Bouillon)
Bring 4 litres of water to the boil in a large stock pot. Add the beef bones and reduce the heat to simmer. If the bones are lean of meat and fat, add a 300gm chunk of beef to the stock along with the bones. Simmer for two hours.

After one hour, add one medium sized peeled carrot, cut into two pieces, and one onion, peeled but left whole. The onion is added for flavour but also to make the stock as clear as possible.

Continue to cook the stock at a slow boil for approximately one more hour after adding the vegetables.

When the stock has boiled gently for two hours it can be drained through a fine sieve to remove the carrot, onion, meat and bone. Keep the meat and bones, and return the clear soup to the pot and place back on the stove.

Remove the meat and marrow from the bone and add back into the stock. Add salt to taste. Continue to cook at a low boil.

Soup
Cut one capsicum in half and thinly slice into pieces about one inch long and place in a bowl. Take half a large carrot, cut into angled oval slices and again into julienne strips.

Peel, halve and thinly slice one onion, break up and add to the bowl with the carrots and capsicum.

Cut the top and bottom off one medium beetroot, wash, peel and cut into julienne strips. Put in a separate bowl. Keep the beetroot peelings which can be added to the stock for colour, 30 minutes before the soup has finished cooking. Just remember to remove the peelings before serving.

Finely shred a quarter of a cabbage and put into a separate bowl.

Peel three medium sized potatoes, cut into cubes and put into a bowl of water.

In a frying pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom. When hot add the mixed julienned vegetables (but not the cabbage) and fry until lightly softened and golden.

Add the cabbage to the stock. Drain the water off the potatoes and add them to the stock.

If the stock is looking too brown, peel and slice another beetroot and sit in the soup in a sieve or slotted spoon to help add more colour.

Continue to cook the soup at a low boil. When the potato is cooked (firm but not falling apart) add the fried vegetables, 3 bay leaves, 1 tablespoons of chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon of chopped dill (if available).

Chop one tomato and add to the soup. Bring to the boil and turn off. Remove the pot from the stove.

Leave the soup to stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Serving
Serve with a dollop of sour cream or mayonnaise.

The soup can be kept for several days as the flavour will improve. It can also be split into portions and frozen so it can be used as required.