Beef cheeks, marinated and braised for a couple of hours in red wine, are gutsy and tender.
Completely delicious and meaty, with big flavour. Served with a punchy feta salsa verde that is no shrinking violet itself when it comes to competing with the big flavours I love.
Lentils cooked with finely diced celeriac brings the dish together, softening the fresh, herby salsa and lengthening the richness of the beef.
Recipe: Beef Cheeks in Red Wine
Ingredients
- 1 Beef Cheek
- 1/2 bottle of Red Wine
- 2 sprigs of fresh Thyme
Instructions
- One beef cheek is good for two servings, so trim and portion. Marinate two beef cheek portions in a half bottle of red wine with a couple of sprigs of thyme and leave in a sealed container for 24 to 48 hours (the longer the better/deeper the flavour).
- Put the beef and the marinade in a saucepan/casserole dish with a lid, in the oven on a low heat for about 4 hours. Different ovens temperatures vary, but you want the marinade to be just at the point of simmering, not boiling.
- Keep an eye on the cheeks. They will be done when they easily slide off a sharp knife.
Recipe: Feta Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 1 Shallot,
- 1 clove of Garlic,
- 2 Anchovy Fillets,
- Tablespoon of Capers,
- 3 Cornichons,
- Teaspoon of Dijon Mustard,
- Large handful of Parsley, Large handful of Mint, Handful of Chives,
- A good cupful of Olive oil,
- Tablespoon of Sherry Vinegar
- 100g Feta Cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the Salsa Verde by hand. Finely chop the ingredients in the order listed above and add to a large mixing bowl, with the vinegar last (add more vinegar if you would like as you taste).
- Mix well.
- Crumble in 100g of feta cheese and season with some black pepper.
Recipe: Lentils with Celeriac
Ingredients
- 1 Onion
- 1 Celeriac Root
- 150g of Puy Lentils
- 500ml of Vegetable or Chicken Stock
- 1 cup of milk
- Large tablespoon of butter
Instructions
- Thinly slice an onion and soften in a frying pan with some butter.
- Add puy lentils to the pan (one small handful per serving) when the onions are translucent, add a little more butter and coat the lentils for a minute or so.
- Have prepared about half a litre of vegetable or chicken stock (1/2 litre for 2 servings of lentils). Keep stock warm and add the stock one cup at time to the lentils, waiting until the previous cupful has evaporated before adding the next.
- Cut the celeriac in half, peel and finely dice.
- Keep half the diced celeriac back and add the other half of the dice to the lentils after about 10 minutes cooking.
- Keep adding stock until the lentils are done, firm, not mushy, but with no grittiness when you bite into them. If you run out of stock, just ladle in some water until they’re done.
- With the diced celeriac you kept back, put in a small saucepan and almost cover with some milk and add butter.
- Bring to the boil and cook until soft. Add the milk boiled celeriac to a blender along with the cooking liquid and blitz until pureed.
- Add the puree to the lentils to finish.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Very nice. I was wondering what you were going to do with your leftovers!
See you in May for the Weimar trip.
Phwoar! Love the idea of feta salsa verde. Definitely going to get some beef cheek soon….maybe this Easter weekend!
Oh me oh my, that looks incredible!! Lentils feta and salsa verde are already on my favourites list and the fall-apart beef cheek is just an indulgent extra!