Delicious UK - (11)November 2020

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Beef cheeks

56 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

• 1.75kg oxtail


• 1 large onion (approx 200g)


• 1 stick of celery


• 3 fat cloves of garlic


• 1 x 15ml tablespoon fresh
  thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon
  dried thyme)


• 250g field/flat or portobello
  mushrooms


• 200g baby chestnut or button
  mushrooms


• 250g pancetta or 225g lardons


• 1 x 15ml tablespoon
  olive oil


• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  (optional)


• 35g plain flour


• ½ teaspoon ready-ground
  black pepper


• 1 teaspoon ground cumin


• 1 teaspoon ground
  coriander


• 30g beef dripping or 2 x 15ml
  tablespoons olive oil


• 500ml full-bodied red wine
  (though, as the name of the
  stew suggests, it should
  properly be a Burgundy)


• 500ml beef stock


• 250g peeled pearl onions
  (I use frozen; if you can’t
  find them, add another onion
  at the beginning)


• 3 fresh bay leaves

1 Take the oxtail out of the

fridge to get it to room

temperature. Heat the oven to

150°C/130°C fan. Tear

off a large piece of baking

parchment slightly bigger than

the diameter of the casserole

you’re using – I use one of

26cm diameter – and put to

one side for now.

2 Peel and chop the onion and

finely slice the celery. Peel the

garlic cloves and strip the

leaves from the stalks of

thyme. Chop the dark-gilled

field or portobello mushrooms

into 3-4cm chunks.

3 Cut the rind off the pancetta,

put it with the tablespoon of

olive oil into your casserole and

leave over lowish heat to render

the fat while you chop the rest

of the pancetta into strips

approx 1 x 2cm. If you’re using

lardons, you will naturally

dispense with this step.

4 Add the pancetta cubes (you

can leave the rind in the pan)

and cook for about 8 minutes,

stirring frequently, by which

time they will have rendered

quite a bit of fat and be bronzed

and crisp.

5 Remove the pancetta –

discarding the rind or, if you

have any sense, eating it

yourself – to a bowl big

enough to take the onion and

mushrooms later, too. Cook

the chopped onion in the warm

bacon-y fat, on low, for 10

minutes – keeping an eye on

it, and stirring every now and

again to make sure it isn’t

burning. Mince or grate in the

garlic cloves and stir in the

sliced celery, thyme and – if

using – caraway, and cook

for a bare minute.

6 Add the chunked field

mushrooms to the pan and stir

well for a minute or so, then

add the whole baby chestnut

or button mushrooms and cook

all together, stirring regularly

for 4–5 minutes. Remove to

the bowl with the pancetta,

and take the pan off the heat

for a moment.

7 Get out a large shallow dish,

and in it mix the flour, pepper,

cumin and coriander, then

dredge the oxtail pieces in the

spiced flour on all sides.

8 Melt half the beef dripping

or heat half the olive oil in the

pan and, over medium-high

heat, sear half the oxtail

pieces, transferring them,

once browned, to the bowl

too. Do the same with the

remaining fat and oxtail.

9 Add whatever flour is left

behind in the dredging dish to

the pan, and gradually stir in

the red wine, followed by the

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