make it special.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 57
beef stock. Stir well, whisk to
get rid of any floury lumps,
and let it bubble a little before
adding back the oxtail. Add
your frozen pearl onions if
using (no need to thaw), then
the remaining contents of the
onion and mushroom bowl,
using a bendy spatula to
scrape out every last drop
of flavoursome juices. Drop
in the bay leaves and press
everything down into the liquid
as best you can.
10 Let the pot come to a
bubble, make a cartouche
by scrunching up your piece
of baking parchment, then
unscrunch it and place it on top
of the stew, tucking the edges
in and up around the inside of
the pan. Then clamp on the lid,
and transfer to the oven to
cook for 3½ hours.
11 Remove from the oven, take
off the lid and parchment,
press down – with a spatula or
large spoon – to keep the meat
and vegetables submerged,
then leave to cool before
putting into the fridge, covered,
for at least a day and up to
3 days. If you want, you can
remove the layer of solidified
fat when it’s cold, but for me
the fat is the point of oxtail.
12 On the day you want to eat
this, take the stew out of the
fridge in good time to reach
room temperature. Heat the
oven to 180°C/160°C fan.
Make a fresh cartouche and
cook, lid on, for about 1¼
hours, by which time it should
be piping hot. While this is
enough, I like to give it
another hour turned down
to 140°C/120°C fan, and
it won’t come to any harm if
it stays there for considerably
longer. Should you wish to
reheat in a hotter oven to
accommodate other dishes you
might want alongside, simply
reduce the time the oxtail has
in the oven. Make sure it’s
piping hot before serving.
Beefcheekswithport
andchestnuts
SERVES3-4Thisisa deeply
flavouredandelegantly
cosystew,perfectforwhen
thenightsaredrawingin.It
warmsbodyandsoul,and
liftsthespirits;eatingit
feelslikeyou’reinstantly
sittinginfrontofa
cracklinglogfire.
Chancesareyouwillhave
togetthebeefcheeksfrom
a butcher’s,soyoumight
aswellgetthemtocutthe
meatupintochunksforyou
atthesametime.Afterlong,
slowcooking,beefcheeks
becomelusciouslytender,
buttheycertainlydon’t
startoffthatway:ifyou’re
cuttingthemyourself,
proceedwithcare.Andif
youcan’tgetbeefcheeks,
useshin.
Warning:thisneedstobemade
atleasta daybeforeyouplan
toeatit.MAKE
AHEADPrepareupto3 days
ahead.Refrigerate,
covered,andreheat
asdirectedinrecipeuntil
pipinghot.STORE
Refrigerate leftovers
and use within 24
hours. Reheat until
piping hot.FREEZE
Freeze in airtight
container for up to
3 months. Defrost
overnight in fridge. Transfer
to casserole dish and reheat
as directed in recipe.- 1kg beef cheeks
- 500g leeks (trimmed weight;
approx 750g if you’re buying
them untrimmed) - 2 fat cloves of garlic
- 2 carrots (approx 200g)
- 1 large or 2 small sticks
of celery - A small bunch of flatleaf
parsley (approx 20g) - 45g beef dripping or 3 x 15ml
tablespoons oil of your choice
- 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- A very generous grating of
nutmeg - 200ml ruby port
- 350ml beef stock
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
sauce (gluten-free if
necessary) - 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (or
½ teaspoon fine sea salt) - A good grinding of pepper
- 150g cooked and peeled
chestnuts (I buy these in
vacuum-sealed packets)
1 Heat the oven to 150°C/130°C
fan. Tear off a generous piece
of baking parchment a bit
bigger than the diameter of
your casserole (I use a
heavy-based one of 24cm
diameter) and set aside for
now.
2 Cut the beef cheeks into
large chunks, about 6cm; if
the cheeks are still covered
in membrane, carefully cut it
away and peel it off first. Wash
the leeks to remove any mud,
as needed. If your leeks are
chunky, cut them in half
lengthways, and then into
2cm slices; if they are
relatively slender, just slice
them. Peel the garlic cloves.
3 Peel the carrots, cut into
chunks, drop into the bowl
of the processor, and add
the peeled garlic. Tear the
celery into smaller pieces
and add, too, along with the
parsley (leaves and tender
stalks), and blitz until very
finely chopped. Or just chop
everything finely by hand.
4 Melt 30g of beef dripping
or warm 2 tablespoons of
oil in your casserole and,
in two batches, brown the
meat over medium-high heat,
then remove to a bowl.
5 Add the remaining 15g of
dripping (or tablespoon of oil)
to the pan, turn the heat down
to medium-low, then add thecarrot mixture and cook,
stirring, for 3-4 minutes.
6 Finely grate the orange zest
into the pan, stir in the fennel
seeds and grate in the nutmeg- which smell heavenly as they
hit the heat – then add the
leeks. Turn up the heat to
medium and cook, stirring
frequently, for about 5 minutes,
by which time the leeks will
have wilted a bit.
7 Return the beef cheeks to
the pan, scraping in any juices
that have collected in the
bowl, and stir well so that
everything is mixed together.
8 Pour in the port and let it
bubble up before adding the
beef stock, Worcestershire
sauce and salt, and grind
pepper generously into the
stew. Add the chestnuts, stir
well and, when bubbling,
squish the meat down in the
pan with your spoon or spatula
so that it is just submerged in
the liquid. Scrunch up your
piece of baking parchment,
then unscrunch it and press
it down on top of the stew,
tucking the edges in and up
around the inside of the pan,
then put on the lid and cook
in the oven for 3 hours, by
which time the meat will be
gorgeously tender. Remove lid
and parchment and let cool
before refrigerating for up to
3 days. Though you certainly
should taste for seasoning
before letting it cool too much.
9 To reheat, take the stew out
of the fridge, remove any of the
now solidified fat on the top if
you wish, and let it come to
room temperature.
10 If the meat isn’t just covered
by its jellified stock, add a little
water so that it is. Tear off a
sheet of baking parchment to
make a fresh cartouche and
replace the lid and put in a
190°C/170°C fan oven for 50
minutes to 1 hour. If you want
to bake potatoes in the oven at
the same time – though →