Angus Beef Cheeks Recipe

Slow braised Angus beef cheeks served with gnocchi, seasoned with north African zesty dukkha; mixed with asparagus and zucchini ribbons.

Please note:
Beef cheeks have a lot of fat on the outside and in between the grains. The cheeks need to be trimmed and also need to be checked for glands.

Braised cheeks
10 trimmed cheeks
100g Knorr beef stock powder
5 onions
1kg carrots
2 bunches of celery
5 bay leaves
100ml honey
30g crushed garlic
10g thyme
1 cup tomato paste
Salt and pepper
2lt water
1 bottle of red wine

Method:
Peel the carrots then chop.
Wash and chop celery.
Peel and slice onions.
Place in a 800 Bain Marie
pan, alternatively a 600 will do.
Add everything BUT the beef cheeks and mix well.
Place the beef cheeks in the mixture, on top of the vegetables.
Cover with foil and braise in a pre-heated oven 160c for 8 hours
Once done, remove the cheeks and check – the cheeks should be very soft and tender.
Remove the cheeks and give them time to cool.
Strain the liquid and reduce by half, skim off the fat at this point.
This will be served as the sauce for the dish.

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Potato Gnocchi
200g gnocchi
10g onion
½ teaspoon lemon zest
15ml butter
20g dukkha spice
10g chopped flat leave parsley.
4 pieces of asparagus
5 ribbons of zucchini
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In a medium pot, fill half with water and bring to a boil.
Add a pinch of salt then add the gnocchi.
Once the gnocchi floats to the top remove and mix with a bit of canola oil to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Blanch the asparagus and cut into 5 pieces each.
Bring a sauté pan to temperature.
Add the butter and sauté the onions quickly.
Add the gnocchi and sauté till the gnocchi starts to get golden-brown in colour.
Add the dukkha and zest and toss.
Add the asparagus and the rest of the ingredients at this point and bring to temperature.

Assembling:
Make sure you heat the cheeks throughout
2 cheeks is enough for a portion.
Check that the sauce does not reduce too much as it will quickly
turn salty.

Recommendation

Make sure to take it easy on the butter and oil, the meat will have enough moisture and richness itself.
Try and get your Angus from Wood View farm as they supply their wagyu and angus locally. They work through Sparta, try to stick to local – it will be more cost effective plus the taste and texture is exceptionally good.

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