Monday, March 14, 2011

Braised Beef Cheeks with Beetroot Gnocchi

This recipe came originally from a website dedicated to the brilliance that is Canberra, can you believe it? I originally found it when trawling the web to find a good recipe incorporating beetroot gnocchi! This dish certainly looks fancy and is sure to impress, but it stressed the heck out of me in the kitchen! Lots of stuff going on at once. Don't attempt without at least 3 burners!

Beef cheeks are available at many butchers if you don't ask. A secondary cut of meat that is gaining in popularity, it is rich and riddled with tendons and marbled fat and obviously requires extended cooking to bring out it's succulent beauty.




Ingredients (Serves 4)



Beef Cheeks

  • 800-1000gm beef cheeks
  • 2L beef stock
  • 2 onions
  • 2 carrots
  • 4 stalks celery
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4 large handfuls spinach 


Beetroot Gnocchi
  • 800gm desiree potatoes
  • 300gm beetroot
  • 350gm self raising flour
  • 1 egg

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. 
Wrap the potatoes and beetrot in foil and place in the oven for 2 hours

Meanwhile
Dice the carrots, onions and celery

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat
Pat the beef cheeks dry and place into the pan to brown on both sides

Transfer the cheeks to a saucepan with lid and cover with the diced vegetables, wine, stock and tomato

Bring to a the boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours
Meanwhile remove potatoes and beetroot from oven and let cool slightly
Meanwhile, place half of the stock that the beef was cooked in in a frying pan and reduce by 3/4 to form a sauce. 

Peel the potato and mash thoroughly

Peel the beetroot and puree in a blender.

Add the beetroot to the potato and mix through with the egg and a generous pinch of salt.

Add enough flour for the mix to form a dough, then cut into 4 pieces
Roll each piece into a 2cm thick log and then cut into 2cm long pieces.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil
Cook the gnocchi in batches and set aside.
Wilt the spinach in a saucepan over medium heat with 2 tbsp water.
Place the gnocchi and spinach of your serving plates.

Top with the beef cheeks and drizzle over some of the sauce.

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