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
- Mix all ingredients together and set aside until ready to use (make fresh before serving)
RAGU
- Cut the beef cheeks into smaller sized pieces – I cut my 500g cheeks into 3 pieces
- Prepare the vegetables – dice the onion, carrots, chilli & celery finely. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger
- 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
- Turn the heat to medium-high and add the vegetables, stirring regularly for 2-3 minutes
- 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
- Cover and cook in the oven for 2.5-3 hours @ 180c
- 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
- 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