Social-Feeds-Cookbook-2016

BeEf CheEks with PolenTa,
MushroOMS and HAzelNUtS
In the same pan, brown off the celery, carrot and onions until
slightly soft.
Place the beef cheeks and vegetable mixture in a large
roasting dish or casserole dish. Cover with 1.5L of the stock you
made and the wine. Add to the liquid the bay leaves, thyme,
peppercorns, rosemary and salt. (You can cover at this stage and
rest overnight in the fridge for extra flavour).
Eating time! Pop the polenta on the plate. Top with a beef
cheek (we sliced ours in half because it looks pretty). Drizzle
with a generous amount of sauce. Finish with hazelnuts, king
brown and enoki mushrooms and some fresh thyme leaves.
P.S. A glass of red wine is definitely deserved with this after all
that cooking!
Place in an oven heated to 140°C. Cooked covered for 2
hours then uncover and continue cooking turning every 30
minutes (this will give a sticky coating on the cheeks). They
will take about 4 hours in total to cook, depending on the size
of your beef cheeks.
While the cheeks are cooking pop the hazelnuts on a roasting
tray and place in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the shells
start to come off. Put aside ready to serve.
Maker’s note
“Sometimes in Melbourne in winter (or summer for that
matter) you just want a dish that makes you feel warm and
cozy. This one does just that. Perfect with a glass of red on the
couch whilst watching the footy (go Tigers).”
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Method
First of all you need to make your stock. You can
cheat and buy stock if you’re feeling lazy but
homemade stock really makes a difference. Heat
your oven to 220°C. Roast your marrow bones in a
roasting pan, turning occasionally until browned
(about 30 minutes).
Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic to the
roasting dish with the bones and roast for a further
20 minutes or until the vegetables are brown.
Put the vegetables and bone mixture into a large
stockpot (try to get all the good bits stuck to the
bottom of the pan too) and then cover with cold
water. Add the bay leaves and herbs. Bring to the
boil and then let simmer for 4 hours then strain.
Stock done!
Truss the beef cheeks by tying some butcher’s
string around them to make a nice cylindrical
shape (this will help them stay together while
they’re roasted). Brown the beef cheeks in a pan
over high heat with a dash of oil. You want to get
really good colour all over. Then put aside to cool.
To make the polenta, bring the milk and water to the boil
and whisk in the polenta. Reduce heat to low and cook for
about 30 minutes or until soft and creamy. You need to stir
this regularly so it doesn’t stick. Just before serving, mix in the
butter, parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. (You
can leave it covered for about 20 minutes while you’re getting
everything else ready).
Remove the cheeks from the liquid and cover with foil to keep
warm. Strain the remaining liquid (you may need to add a little
water to get it off the bottom of the roasting dish). Reduce and
thicken with a teaspoon of cornflour (mixed in a little water
first), season with salt and pepper. This is your sauce done!
Finally lightly pan fry your sliced king brown mushrooms in a
little butter until nice and golden and slightly soft.
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