ESQUINA Grass-Fed Australian Beef Cheek, Butternut Squash, Baby Arugula

  • Prep time 5Min
  • Cook time 3Hr, 30Min
  • Technique Roast, Pan Fry / Saute
  • Meat Beef
  • Cut Neck
  • Serves 4

Slow roasted Beef Cheeks, served with Butternut Squash and Baby Arugula

Ingredients

Beef Cheeks:

1.5 kg Australian Beef Cheeks

40 gm Minced Garlic

10 gm Fine Salt

400 gm Spanish Onion, peeled and diced

200 gm Carrot, peeled and diced

40 gm Dried Porcini Mushrooms

5 gm Black Peppercorn

5 gm Juniper Berries

1 Sprig Fresh Thyme

Half Sprig Rosemary

1 Bay Leaf

160 gm Tomato Purée

40 ml Brandy

300 ml Red Wine

800 ml Beef Stock

800 ml Water

 

Butternut Squash Purée:

150 gm Butter

150 gm Brown Sugar

6 Cloves

1 large piece Butternut Squash

275 gm Crème Fraîche

 

To Serve:

Unsalted Butter

Baby Arugula

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Manchego Cheese, shaved

Method

Beef cheeks:

  1. Crack some black pepper over the beef cheeks before lightly coating them in flour. Pan-fry beef for 2 minutes on both sides and leave to rest.

  2. To cook the sauce, add garlic cloves and sauté before adding salt and onions. Then add carrots and cook for 5 minutes before adding porcini mushrooms, black peppercorn, juniper berries, herbs. Cook until soft before adding tomato puree.

  3. Stir in brandy and red wine, wait for the sauce to boil before adding beef stock. 

  4. Pour the sauce over the beef cheeks, before roasting in the oven at 200°C for 3 hours, flipping the beef cheeks every 20 minutes.

 

Butternut puree:

  1. In a pan, melt some butter and brown sugar, then add cloves. Pour the mixture over butternut wedges, and roast in the oven at 200°C for 30 minutes.

  2. Once ready, add the roasted butternut and creme fraiche into a blender and blend to a puree.

 

To serve:

  1. Place the beef cheeks in a pan and add 100g of the sauce and 20g of butter. Glaze the beef cheeks to finish.

  2. On a plate, lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil over baby arugula and shave some Manchego cheese.

  3. Assemble your beef cheeks, butternut puree and baby arugula on a plate.

 

Recipe Tip

  • Choose a red wine that is young and full-bodied like Shiraz or Merlot. It gives the sauce a more rich and round taste and brighter colour!

 

 

 

 

CHEF CARLOS DEMONSTRATES HOW YOU CAN RECREATE YOUR OWN TABLEXPERIENCE AT HOME IN THIS SIMPLE RECIPE VIDEO.