How about it sweet cheeks

There is, it has to be said, a quietly indulgent sense of self-satisfaction that derives from the creation of something outstandingly delicious from the most meagre & humble of ingredients. Champagne flavour with a beer budget and there could be no more a humble ingredient than the long forgotten beef cheek. I was in Waitrose the other day and I was surprised to see some lovely looking beef cheeks at the butchers counter. The cheeks weighed in at a very respectable £4.35 (£4.49 per kg as of 4/01/2011)  for nearly a kg of meat enough for four or five very generous portions. It’s so refreshing to see a supermarket stocking obscure cheap cuts of meat again. I just hope they remain cheap and affordable and not, as is all to often the case, becoming a trendy gastro menu item pushing up demand and therefore the price: as with pork belly for instance.

I remember as a child my mother and father would prepare family dinners that would often comprise of cuts such as beef brisket: salted and turned for two weeks in the larder (yes, we had a larder a rare commodity these days) and then boiled and served with carrots. Lamb breasts: rolled and roasted with lemon and thyme stuffing, resulting in crispy lamb skin with an oozing and succulent interior or tender juicy ox tongue served with the creamiest mashed potato, wilted spinach and served with a gorgeous piquant gravy, lambs kidneys served with rice, sautéed chicken livers and other offally delights. There is something quite unique and special about these dishes, a richness and depth of flavour that to my mind far outstrips an expensive fillet steak, topside or pork leg any day. These cheaper cuts pack a big flavour, some interesting varied textures and allow some slow, considered and indulgent cooking. Sainsbury's have been selling Lamb breast for a while now and with Waitrose stepping up the game with items such as shin, skirt and cheeks it won't be too long before the others follow suit. In the meantime there are enough farmers markets, farm shops and even a renaissance for the high street butcher, here in Brighton we actually had a new one open fairly recently. You can buy excellent meat online ( although I'm a bit funny about seeing what I'm buying when it comes to meat ) Donald Russell sells beef cheeks but at a top end price of £13.75 per kilo: see what i mean about these cuts getting expensive. So get down to your local butcher or farm shop and snap up some of these sweet little cheeks before they start to leave a bitter taste in your wallet.

Beef cheeks can be used in various ways but for this recipe I cooked them as if in a daube provencale or a bourguignon style. I kept the meat in large pieces; I didn’t trim out the fat or sinew so the fat slowly melts, flavouring and tenderising the meat as it cooks. I just cut the cheeks into four or five portions and marinated the meat for 24 hours before cooking. Slow cooked for four hours in red wine and meat stock (I used venison), carrots, onions and my secret ingredient, a little star anise, the result was fantastic: mouth-watering flavour that had depth and richness, the meat was soft, tender, succulent and extremely delicious. Pop this dish in the oven, prep your vegetables (creamed parsnip and peppered steamed cabbage in this case) and head off for a brisk wintry walk or to the pub for a couple of beers. Returning home a few hours later you’ll find the house filled with warm beefy aromas and in no time an indulgent lunch will be on the table and it would have cost less than a couple of pints!

Beef cheeks daube style

Serves:4

• 800g beef cheeks 
• 3 medium onions sliced 
• 4 large carrots cut into batons 
• 1 celery stalk finely chopped 
• 1 small leek finely chopped 
• 2 rashers of bacon finely chopped 
• 2 garlic cloves 
• 3/4 bottle of red wine 
• 600ml meat stock 
• 4 tbsp flour 
• Thyme sprigs 
• 4 Bay leaves 
• 10 juniper berries, crushed 
• ½ a star anise 
• olive oil 
• salt & pepper 

Make the marinade by combining a cup of red wine, 4 tbsp of olive oil, half a sliced onion, 1 chopped carrot, some thyme leaves, a bay leaf, two garlic cloves sliced, 5 juniper berries, salt & pepper and mix well. Cut the beef cheeks into large pieces and place in a large freezer bag or a covered pot, pour over the marinade and leave in the fridge for 24 hours or at least over night.

Strain the marinade, retaining the liquid. Dry the meat on the some kitchen towel and dust with a little flour. Fry until browned in a little oil and place in a large casserole pot. In the same pan, fry the onions, leeks and celery until softened, add this to the meat. Now fry the bacon in a little oil, add the carrots, remaining juniper, star anise, thyme, bay leaves and when starting to colour douse with the remaining red wine, add the stock and reserved marinade and bring to the boil, simmer gently for five minutes and then remove the star anise, season generously. Pour this over the meat and vegetables already in the casserole and gently stir everything together. Place the lid tightly on the pot and place in a slow oven, 150 degrees and cook for four hours. Check halfway through that there is enough liquid, top up with wine or stock and more seasoning if required.

Once cooked this dish will improve with age, make it the day before and reheat gently before serving. 

Serve with creamed parsnips and a green vegetable.