Slow cooked beef cheeks with celeriac and field mushrooms

Peter Doyle

Slow cooked beef cheeks with celeriac and field mushrooms

Ingredients

6 beef cheeks, trimmed of all fat
1 onion, peeled, sliced roughly
2 carrots, peeled, cut into 2 cm rounds
2 sticks celery, cut into 3 cm lengths
2 bulbs celeriac, peeled, cut into rounds, blanched and refreshed
6 field mushrooms, trimmed, cut into rounds, roasted
100g fresh green peas, blanched, refreshed
1 bouquet garni ( thyme, parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns)
1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally
1.5 litres veal stock
100ml white wine

Method

Trim the cheeks.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium gas flame and seal the beef cheeks on all sides until browned.

Remove and place on a rack over a tray.

Pour any remaining oil from the pan and deglaze with the white wine over a high gas flame. Add veal stock and bring to the boil.

Place the beef cheeks in a clean pan or braising dish just large enough to contain the them.

Surround the meat with the vegetables, bouquet garni and garlic halves.

Pour over the hot veal stock and place in the gas oven 160 degrees C (320 degrees F).

Braise for 2-21/2 hours, depending on the size of the cheeks. The meat should be very soft and falling off the bone.

Remove cheeks from oven and keep aside.

Strain the stock through a fine strainer and leave to settle for a few minutes.

Ladle any fat from the stock surface, pour into a clean pot and reduce by half.

The cheeks can now be left to cool down to be reheated later, or returned to the oven with a little veal stock to reheat at 200 degrees C (390 degrees F).

During the reheating baste the cheeks every few minutes with some of the hot stock to give the shank a nice golden brown glow.

Reheat the celeriac rounds by steaming, and the field mushrooms in the oven.

Place a field mushroom in the centre of a bowl plate, top with a celeriac round, place a warm beef cheek on each and spoon over sauce.

Scatter reheated green peas around the beef cheeks and serve immediately.