Slow Cooked New Zealand Grass-Fed Beef Cheeks Recipe

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 8 hours

New Zealand grass-fed beef cheeks, when cooked long and slow result in tender, juicy and flavorful beef. Paired with silky smooth polenta and doused in a rich sauce spliced with a little orange for freshness, this is a heavenly dish. Impress your guests this winter with a recipe that requires minimal fuss but delivers maximum impact.

Tip: This dish can be made the day before and reheated at a low heat in the oven for approximately an hour.

Ingredients:

For the Beef:

4 New Zealand grass-fed beef cheeks, trimmed of silver skin (Tip: Look for the Taste Pure Nature logo)
3 tablespoons flour
2 stalks celery, strings removed and finely diced
1 carrot, very finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
Pared rind of 1 orange
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup red wine
2 cups beef stock
Salt and pepper, to taste

To serve:

Polenta (prepared as instructed on packaging) or mashed potatoes
Carrots (or your choice of veggies), cooked
Fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

For the beef:

1. Preheat slow cooker for 20 minutes.
2. Add a dash of oil to a large casserole dish (one that is suitable for stovetop) and place over a medium-high heat. Dust beef cheeks with flour, place in casserole dish and brown on both sides (do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the dish). Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a plate as you go.
3. Lower the heat and add another dash of oil. Add the celery, carrot and onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic, bay leaves, orange rind, ground cumin and allspice and cook for a further one minute.
4. Return browned beef cheeks to the casserole dish, pour in the red wine and bring to a boil. Pour in the beef stock, bring up to a boil again.
5. Transfer to preheated slow cooker and slow cook on low for 8 hours.

For the sauce:

6. Remove the beef cheeks from the slow cooker when ready to serve.
7. Remove bay leaves and use a stick blender to mix the remaining liquid in the slow cooker, then transfer to a pot and reduce by around half.