INTERVIEWSAMANTHAJONESPORTRAITPHOTOGRAPHYBENDEARNLEYFOOD PHOTOGRAPHYANSON SMARTSTYLINGKIRSTEN JENKINSMERCHANDISINGEMMALY STEWARTTHE CHEF ANDTHE BUTCHERA:Rum.Honestly,every recipe now has
colcannonorrum.
C:Orwhisky.
A:No,that’sjustwhatyou’redrinking.
C:I’mdrinkingredwine,I’mdrinking
limoncello.I mightdrinkwhiskylater.
A:Alright,I’lltalkaboutbeefcheeksthen.
I knowtheydon’tsoundappetising,but
beefcheeksareamazing.Anda bigshout
outtomydad(Vic,headbutcherand
co-ownerofVic’sMeatMarket),because
withouthimnoonewouldbeeatingthings
likeoxtail,beefcheeksandbrisket.The
secretwithbeefcheeksis thesinewand
connectivetissuebecomesgelatinous
afterbeingslowlybraised,whichis what
givesthemthat juicy, unctuous...
C:Tex ture?
A:Nah.Juicy,unctuous...texture.Yeah,
okaytexture.It’sabout$20a kiloandeach
cheekwillweighabout300-400grams.So
about$8a cheek.Theyusedtobea lot
cheaper.It’sgoneupin pricebecause
peoplehavecottonedontohowamazing
it is.I knowyoulovebrisket,andI love
brisket,andI loveoxtail,butin termsof
braisingcuts,cheekis theQueen.You
havePrinceHarryandPrincePhilipandthe
otherminions.Butwith beef cheeks you’ve
gottheQueen.
C:Right...welltherumaddsa sweetness,
a smokiness.It’slikethedrummer in the
band.It’slikethebacknote.
A:A bitlikePrincePhilip;he’sin theback
too.Butyou’veputfennelin thisandyou
knowI hatefennel.Thataniseed-ytaste.
C:I putfennelin everything.It addsa little
highnotetothebacknoteoftherumhere.
You’rebuildingflavour,it’slike building an
orchestra,butin a stew.
A:Fennelfor me is like Fergie. Nobody
likes it.
C:Fergiehasher
charm!Anyway,thisis
theglobalissue,right?
Andit’sa warmhugof
a dish.Everyoneneeds
a warmhugin
thesetimes.
A:Aw,I likethatCol.
C:Wecanonlyeatwithourfamilies,sowe
havetosharetheloveoffoodtogether.
Everyoneis cravingwhatthey’velost,and
rightnowthat’stravelandglobalflavours.
They’regoingtogetbackto what they’re
missingthroughfood.
A:That’slovely...areyoualright?
C: I think I’ve had too much limoncello.BEEFCHEEKDAUBEWITH
FENNELAND RUM
SERVES4-6
Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.1 eachlargeonion,carrotand
fennelbulb,chopped
2 cinnamonquills
3 garliccloves,sliced
3 bayleaves(^3) / 4 cup(180ml)darkrum
6 cup(1.5L)redwine
Zestof1 lemonand 1 orange, peeled
intostrips
1.5kgbeefcheeks,cutinto3cmpieces
(^1) / 4 cup(60ml)extravirgin olive oil
80gunsaltedbutter
8 smalleschalots,peeled,leftwhole
250gslicedbacon,cutinto3 cmbatons
300gsmallbuttonmushrooms
21 / 2 tbstomatopaste
(^1) / 4 cup(35g)plainflour
3 cups(750ml)good-qualitybeefstock
(^1) / 2 bunchtarragon,finelychopped
Mashed potato, to serve
Self-isolationhasn’tstoppedColinFassnidgeand
AnthonyPuharichfromservingupcheek.Through
video-link drinks, they chat about royal beef.
Combineonion,carrot,fennel,cinnamon,
garlic,bayleaves,rum,wine,citrus
zestandbeefina bowl.Coverand
marinatein thefridge for at least 4 hours,
ideallyovernight.
Preheatovento160°C.Strainbeef
mixture,reservingmarinade,beefand
vegetablemixtureseparately.Bring
marinadetotheboilin a mediumsaucepan
overmedium-highheat.Simmerfor
5-6minutes,skimmingimpuritiesfromthe
surface.Strainthrougha finesieve.
Heathalfoilandhalfbutterin a large
heavy-basedflameproofcasseroleover
highheat.Inbatches,searbeef,stirring
andtossingfrequently,for5-6minutes
untilbrowned,setaside.Addremaining
oilandbutterwitheschalots,baconand
mushrooms,andcook,stirringfrequently,
for5-6minutesuntilvegetableshave
softened.Addreservedvegetablesand
cook,stirring,for4-5minutesuntil
vegetablesbegintosoften.Addtomato
pasteandstirfor1 minute,thenstirin flour.
Returnmeattothepanwithmarinadeand
stock,scrapingbottomofpanwitha
woodenspoon.Bringtotheboil,cover
andbraisein ovenfor2 hours-2hours
30 minutesoruntilmeatis tender.
Skimfatfromsurfaceofbeefpan.Strain,
returningliquidtopanandsetasidebeef
andvegetablesin a bowl.Returnpanto
medium-highheatfor3-4minutesto
reduceandthickensauce.Returnbeef
tothesaucewithtarragonandreturnto
a simmer. Serve with mashed potato.
36 delicious.com.au
MEAT MARKET.