Braised beef cheeks

🥘 Ingredients

• beef cheeks 2 kg
• fine sea salt
• black pepper
• olive oil
• Barolo 200 ml
• celery 180 g
• carrots 140 g
• shallots 130 g
• garlic 4 cloves
• tomato paste 2 Tbsp
• tamarind paste 2-3 Tbsp
• orange zest 1 strip
• coriander seeds 1 tsp
• black peppercorns 1 tsp
• thyme 1 sprig
• bay leaves 2
• Barolo 550 g
• beef stock 500 g
• flat-leaf parsley
• toasted hazelnuts
• garlic 1 clove
• orange zest
• olive oil
• shallots
• red wine vinegar 2 parts
• water 1 part
• sugar 1 part
• fine sea salt

Braised beef cheeks

1. 1

   Prepare beef cheeks by trimming any excess external fat and silver skin around them.
2. 2

   Season generously with fine sea salt and black pepper .
3. 3

   Drizzle olive oil into a very hot wide casserole and sear the beef cheeks on high heat until deeply browned on all sides.
4. 4

   Remove the beef cheeks from the casserole, drain excess fat, and pat the bottom gently with a paper towel to soak any leftover grease.
5. 5

   Pour Barolo into the casserole and deglaze, scraping the fond with a spatula or wooden spoon. Transfer the wine and loosened fond into a container and set aside.
6. 6

   Roughly chop celery , carrots , shallots , and garlic .
7. 7

   Drizzle some more olive oil into the same casserole, add the chopped vegetables, and cook for a 8-10 minutes on low.
8. 8

   Add tomato paste , tamarind paste , orange zest , coriander seeds , black peppercorns , thyme , and bay leaves , and cook for another 2-3 minutes .
9. 9

   Add the wine used to deglaze, plus another Barolo , and reduce by half.
10. 10

    Finally return the cheeks to the casserole along with beef stock .
11. 11

    Cover and slow cook in the oven at 150°C for approximately 4 hours . Give the meat a turn every now and then.
12. 12

    If the meat offers no resistance when skewered, it is ready. Remove it from the casserole, strain the braising liquid and discard the aromatics.
13. 13

    Reduce the sauce for 30 minutes until thick and glossy. Taste it: you're looking for a deep beefiness first, followed by red wine, and finally a sour tamarind edge. If it's too sweet, drop a tiny amount of tamarind paste to balance the flavour. If it's too sharp, use honey instead.

Parsley orange hazelnut gremolata

1. 1

   Finely chop flat-leaf parsley , toasted hazelnuts , and garlic .
2. 2

   Mix with orange zest and just enough olive oil to bind it.

Pickled shallot

1. 1

   Thinly slice shallots and cover them with a quick pickle of red wine vinegar , water , sugar , and fine sea salt .
2. 2

   Refrigerate overnight.
3. 3

   Slice the beef cheeks before serving, and pour the jus over them. Serve with crispy roast potatoes, sautéed bitter greens (chard or chicory), and a little of the pickled shallot on the side to cut through the rich flavours. Scatter the gremolata over the beef at the table.