RECIPES

Beef Cheek Ragu w/ Lemon Parsley Oil

Serves 8

Preparation = 15mins

Cooking time = 3hrs

 

Beef cheek ragu is rich, hearty and packed with big, bold flavours. The perfect make-ahead meal that will be enjoyed by the whole family! Serve with your favourite red, and voila!

TIP: Gavin Sutherlan (@another_food_blogger) recommends a bottle of Hobbs of Barossa Ranges Tin Lids Shiraz.

 

INGREDIENTS

RAGU
  • 1kg beef cheeks
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 celery
  • 1 red onion
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 red chilli
  • 1 piece ginger – thumbsized
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 bayleaf
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 440ml tin diced tomatoes
  • 500ml beef stock
  • 500ml red wine
  • Salt
  • Pepper

 

LEMON PARSLEY OIL
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley

 

METHOD

LEMON PARSLEY OIL
  1. Mix all ingredients together and set aside until ready to use (make fresh before serving)

  

RAGU
  1. Cut the beef cheeks into smaller sized pieces – I cut my 500g cheeks into 3 pieces
  2. Prepare the vegetables – dice the onion, carrots, chilli & celery finely.  Mince the garlic and grate the ginger
  3. Oil and season the cheeks generously, sear on high in a Dutch oven until golden brown – approx. 5 minutes.  Remove and leave on a plate
  4. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the vegetables, stirring regularly for 2-3 minutes
  5. Add the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, herbs, spices, red wine and stock.  Bring to a simmer and add the cheeks and their juices back in
  6. Cover and cook in the oven for 2.5-3 hours @ 180c
  7. Once the cheeks are cooked – they should fall apart easily when picked up with the tongs.  Discard herbs and spices and place the pan on a low heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes to thicken up the sauce
  8. Serve with pasta, lemon parsley oil and some pangrattato (optional)

 

 

TIPS / TRICKS

  • Beef cheek ragu will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge but freezes great – why not make a double batch!
  • The lemon parsley oil adds a great acidity to the rich dish
  • Pangrattato isn’t essential but I like the added texture you get from them
  • You can substitute short ribs if you can’t get beef cheeks from your butcher, or even chuck steak
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