Braised beef cheeks

Name: Braised beef cheeks
Prep time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1000 gr of beef cheeks; 1 large onion; 5 carrots; 1 celery stalks; 1 sprig of rosemary and sage; 1 bay leaf; 4 cloves of garlic; 150 ml of full body red wine; 500 ml of veal stock (or any other stock or even water); 30 ml cooking oil; 50 g of unsalted butter; Salt and pepper to taste; 1 small bunch of parsley; 1 lemon, zest; 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil; Salt and pepper to taste; 1 small onion; 1 cauliflower; 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil; 50/100 ml of cream; Salt and pepper to taste

10 steps

Prep:3h

To me and many other chefs out there, cheeks are the holy grail of braising, the perfect cut for a low and slow cooking style, full of flavour and collagen that dissolve over the long hours of cooking time.

Updated at: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 17:15:53 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Low

Nutrition per serving

Calories551.9 kcal (28%)

Total Fat36.3 g (52%)

Carbs18.6 g (7%)

Sugars6.4 g (7%)

Protein33.5 g (67%)

Sodium367.1 mg (18%)

Fiber4 g (14%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Instructions

Step 1

Start by braising the meat well ahead. This can actually be done the day before.

Step 2

Trim the beef cheeks from the excess connective tissue and fat (not all of it) and season with abundant salt and pepper. Let it absorb for 10 minutes.

Step 3

Chop the veg in big pieces. Heat a large pan with cooking oil and sear the cheeks on medium heat on both sides. This will approximaly take 6/7 minutes or until golden on both sides. Make sure the pan is well oiled and hot as you don’t want to burn the the meat.

Step 4

When ready, remove the cheeks and in the same pan toss straight after the chopped vegs along with a knob of butter. Season to taste.

Step 5

Now put the meat back into the pan, deglaze with the wine, add a bouquet made with the herbs and pour in the warmed up stock. Cover with the lid and let it simmer on very low heat for a couple of hours, or until the meat is super soft and falling apart. Is it very important to keep the simmer to a constant minimum and turning the meat every now and then to check the cooking liquid has never fully evaporated. It is the low heat that will break down the connective tissue of this usually tough meat cut until very soft.

Step 6

When ready, remove the cheeks from the pan and pass the cooking liquid through a fine sieve. Reduce the liquid on high heat until you have a sauce consistency. When ready to serve simply reheat the cheeks slowly in the simmering sauce covered with a lid.

Step 7

For the cauliflower puree, slice the onion thinly and sweat it in a large pan with a drizzle of oil, a few sage leaves and a pinch of salt. Cook gently until golden.

Step 8

Chop the cauliflower roughly. In a separate pot of salted boiling water cook the chopped cauliflower until soft. When ready drain directly into the pan with the golden onion and add a ladle of cooking water. Cook together for 5 minutes until everything is well soft and blend until smooth adding a touch of cream for smoothness.

Step 9

For the parsley dressing simply chop the leaf and mix with lemon zest, olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Step 10

Plate as you wish and enjoy. I usually serve the dish with a side of radicchio but any bitter leaves will work well.