Braised beef cheeks
<p>These beef cheeks have a rich sauce that is transformed by the cacao powder.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>2 beef cheeks (around 500g each)</li>
<li>Ghee or butter for frying</li>
<li>1 large carrot, cut into small chunks</li>
<li>1 onion, chopped</li>
<li>1 stick celery, chopped</li>
<li>4 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li>
<li>1 teaspoon cacao or cocoa powder</li>
<li>750ml bottle red wine, chianti or shiraz</li>
<li>2 cups beef bone broth or stock</li>
<li>1 sprig each rosemary and thyme</li>
</ul>
<p><em>For the mash</em></p>
<ul>
<li>½ whole bulb of garlic</li>
<li>1 bay leaf</li>
<li>2 sprigs thyme</li>
<li>Olive oil for drizzling</li>
<li>5 large carrots, peeled and chopped</li>
<li>½ celeriac, peeled and chopped</li>
<li>½ swede, peeled and chopped</li>
<li>1 parsnip, peeled and chopped</li>
<li>60g butter</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Season beef cheeks with salt and pepper. Heat a knob of ghee or butter in a large, heavy-based pan and sear beef until well browned all over. Remove from pan.</li>
<li>Add carrot, onion, celery and garlic to pan and sauté 8-10 minutes until softened and golden. Add cacao or cocoa and stir for a minute then remove vegetables from pan.</li>
<li>Add half the wine to the pan, scrape the bottom to loosen all the goodness, then add remaining wine and simmer until reduced by almost half.</li>
<li>Add stock and herb sprigs, beef cheeks and sautéed vegetables. Cover and simmer over low heat for 4-5 hours. The beef is done when you can push a fork into the meat and it breaks apart easily. Remove from pan and blitz remaining stock and vegetables with a stick blender to make a smooth gravy. For a thicker consistency, simmer until reduced. Serve beef cheeks with the gravy and root vegetable mash.</li>
</ol>
<p><em>For the mash</em></p>
<ul>
<li>Heat oven to 200°C. Wrap garlic in tinfoil with bay leaf, a few thyme leaves and a little olive oil. Roast 40 minutes or until soft.</li>
<li>Cook carrots, celeriac, swede and parsnip in boiling water until soft. Drain and mash with roasted garlic (squeezed from skins), butter and remaining chopped thyme. Season to taste.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Written by Andrew McKenna. First appeared on <strong><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></a></strong>. Image credit: Stuff.co.nz / Rachel McKenna.</em></p>
