1kg beef cheeks denuded
200g carrots
200g cocktail onions
200g lardons
100g mushrooms
250g fresh tomatoes, peeled
700mL red wine, preferably Pinot Noir from Bourgogne
Bouquet garni (one twig each of romero, thyme, bay leaf and basil)
1 Tbs gluten-free flour
1 Tbs chopped parsley
350mL beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
35g unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves
40mL olive oil
Preheat the oven to 125 C (fan-forced).
Season the beef cheeks with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan and sear all sides of the beef cheeks until caramelised and brown.
In the same pan, fry half the lardons, onions, carrot and mushrooms, add the minced garlic and cook for a few minutes.
Place the meat in oven tray, add all the cooked vegetables, the lardons, peeled tomatoes, red wine, stock and bouquet garni. Cover with double foil and cook at 125 C for 4 1/2 hours.
When cooked, separate the meat and let it rest, then strain the cooking stock to make the sauce.
Melt the butter over medium heat in a small pot, add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes while whisking until obtaining a homogeneous mixture. This is called a roux - reserve for the next step.
In a larger pot, sautée the lardons first until caramelised, then add the rest of the vegetables in the following order, leaving space for two minutes of cooking between them. Onions first, mushrooms and lastly the carrots.
Once everything is sautéed, add the cooking juice and bring to a boil. When it is boiling, add the roux (butter and flour mixture) little by little until the right consistency is obtained.
Finally add the meat in the sauce and braise for 5 more minutes over low heat, add the chopped parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, or rice.
Recipe provided by L'isle de France Terrigal
