MKR recipe episode 13: Beef Cheeks in Red Wine Sauce with Carrots and Polenta

3 weeks ago 3

Prep time: 30mins

Cook time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Serves 4-6.

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Ingredients

Flat leaf parsley leaves, to garnish

Olive oil, to drizzle

Beef cheeks

2tbs olive oil

4 beef cheeks, trimmed

2tbs plain flour

4 eschallots small brown onions, peeled, halved

4 carrots, coarsely chopped

2 sticks celery, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

250ml red wine

500ml beef stock

60ml balsamic glaze

3 bay leaves

1 bunch thyme, tied with butcher’s string

2 sprigs rosemary

2tbs chopped sage leaves

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

Polenta

400ml milk

400ml chicken stock

300g polenta

160g parmesan, finely grated

60g butter, chopped

Gremolata

½ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 clove garlic, crushed

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Method

1. To prepare beef cheeks, preheat oven to 160C.

2. Heat half the oil in a deep flameproof casserole dish (just big enough to snugly fit beef and ensure it is submerged).

3. Lightly dust beef cheeks in flour. Cook, two at a time, for 3-4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from dish and set aside.

4. Heat remaining oil in same dish over medium heat. Add vegetables and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in remaining ingredients. Add beef cheeks.

5. Bring to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 2 ½ hours or until beef is just tender. Transfer to the stove top and simmer, uncovered, until sauce thickens.

6. Meanwhile, to make polenta, place milk and stock in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until simmering. Season.

7. Gradually whisk in polenta, then cook, stirring, for 5-8 minutes or until polenta is very soft. Stir in parmesan and butter. Season.

8. To make gremolata, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Season.

9. Serve beef cheeks and sauce with polenta. Sprinkle with gremolata. Garnish with parsley. Drizzle with olive oil.

Tips

On the day, due to time constraints, we cooked our beef cheeks in a pressure cooker. Here we have provided a more conventional oven method, more easily reproduced at home.