- 2.2 kg ox cheek
- 60 g plain flour
- 4 pinches sea salt
- 2 pinches freshly ground black pepper
- 60 ml vegetable oil
- 200 ml red wine, heated, reduced to 50 ml (see Chef's note 2)
- For the marinade:
- 2 cups (500 ml) water or brown chicken stock
- 200 g carrots, cut into 2 cm-thick slices
- 1 celery stalk, peeled, cut into 1 cm-thick slices
- 1 medium onion, peeled, cut through root into 8 wedges
- 9 garlic cloves, whole, peeled
- 2 g black peppercorns, crushed
- 1 bouquet garni (3 parsley stalks, 4 bay leaves and 6 thyme sprigs tied together)
- 750 ml full-bodied red wine, such as shiraz or cabernet sauvignon, heated, reduced to 500 ml, cooled (see Chef's note 2)
- For the garnish:
- 200g button onions
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 200 g cooked pancetta, diced, blanched
- 400 g button mushrooms, mixed wild mushrooms trimmed
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- croutons (optional)
- Chef’s notes
- 1. Once you have trimmed and cut the ox cheek, you will have 1.5 kg of meat.
- 2. The wine in this dish adds a desirable acidity and richness, but the flavour of raw alcohol would be unpleasant, so it is important to boil the wine both for intensity and to remove the alcohol.
- 3. Bringing the liquid to the boil releases impurities in the meat, which coagulate on the surface and can then be removed by skimming.
- 4. When cooking the casserole in the oven, the stock must not boil as it will become very cloudy, the meat will shrink and become tough, the vegetables would disintegrate.
Scotch Beef Cheek by Martin Hollis, The Old Course
Scotch Beef Cheek by Martin Hollis, The Old Course
As an incredibly popular meat within the UK, Scotch Beef recipes are vast and varied. With a range of Scotch Beef cuts to consider as well as cooking methods and flavour pairings, Scotch Beef recipes are varied in flavour, texture and preparation time - give this one a try for yourself! The Old Course in association with Quality Meat Scotland. Photography by Guy Hinks.
Ingredients
Method
Instructions
Marinating time: 24 hours
Standing time: 1 hour
To make marinade, combine all ingredients except reduced wine in a large bowl. Add ox cheek, then pour over the 500 ml cooled reduced wine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours, to marinate.
Place a colander over a large bowl and pour in Scotch Beef mixture. Stand for at least 1 hour, to drain. Separate Scotch Beef, vegetables and herbs, and pat dry with paper towel. Reserve liquid.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Sprinkle flour over a baking tray and cook in oven for 8-10 minutes, until pale brown. Set aside. Reduce oven to 120°C.
Season Scotch Beef with sea salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based flameproof casserole dish on high. Cook ox cheek for 4 minutes each side, until coloured. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ox cheek to a tray.
Reduce heat to medium. Add drained vegetables and herbs and cook for 5 minutes, until lightly coloured. Spoon out any fat in casserole dish. Add toasted flour, then stir in reserved marinade and simmer until sauce is thick and coats back of a spoon. Add beef pieces, bring to boil and skim surface (see Chef's note 3). Cover with a lid, transfer to oven and cook for 4½ hours (see Chef's note 4). Add the 50 mls of reduced wine.
To make garnish, heat butter in a medium non-stick frying pan on high. Add bacon and cook for 1 min. Add mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir bacon and mushrooms into casserole. Scatter with parsley and croutons, and serve hot.
Chef’s notes
1. Once you have trimmed and cut the ox cheek, you will have 1.5 kg of meat.
2. The wine in this dish adds a desirable acidity and richness, but the flavour of raw alcohol would be unpleasant, so it is important to boil the wine both for intensity and to remove the alcohol.
3. Bringing the liquid to the boil releases impurities in the meat, which coagulate on the surface and can then be removed by skimming.
4. When cooking the casserole in the oven, the stock must not boil as it will become very cloudy, the meat will shrink and become tough, the vegetables would disintegrate.
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