Prep: 1 hour | Cook: 3½ hours | Serves 4-6 | Low fat | Excellent source of iron | Low sodium
Beef cheeks, when cooked long and slow result in tender, juicy and flavoursome beef. When paired with silky smooth polenta, doused in a rich sauce spliced with a little orange for freshness, you have a dish made in heaven. Impress your guests this winter with a recipe that requires minimum fuss but delivers maximum impact.
Ingredients
Beef
- 4 beef cheeks, trimmed of silver skin
- 3 tablespoons seasoned flour
- 2 stalks celery, strings removed and finely diced
- 1 carrot, very finely diced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- Pared rind of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups Campbell’s Real Stock – Beef
To serve
- Polenta or mashed potato
- Carrots (or your choice of veges)
- Fresh parsley, chopped
Method
Beef
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Add a dash of oil to a large casserole dish (one that is suitable for stovetop and oven) and place over a medium-high heat. Dust beef cheeks with seasoned flour, place in casserole dish and brown on both sides (do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the dish). Transfer to a plate as you go.
Lower the heat and add another dash of oil. Add the celery, carrot and onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic, bay leaves, orange rind, ground cumin and allspice and cook for a further one minute.
Return browned beef cheeks to the casserole dish, pour in the red wine and bring to the boil. Pour in the beef stock, bring up to the boil again then cover with a disc of baking paper and a tight-fitting lid. Place in the oven and cook for 3-3 1/2 hours or until the beef cheeks are almost falling apart. Stir beef cheeks halfway through cooking and check
seasoning as required.
To serve
Remove bay leaves and serve beef cheeks with polenta or mashed potato and carrots that have been cooked in a little water with a teaspoon of honey and butter. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Slow cooker option
Preheat slow cooker for 20 minutes. Brown ingredients as per recipe and make the sauce, then transfer to preheated slow cooker and slow cook on low for 8 hours.
Source: Beef + Lamb New Zealand, reproduced with permission.