Colin Fassnidge and Anthony Puharich’s slow-cooked beef cheeks.

Self-isolation hasn’t stopped Colin Fassnidge and Anthony Puharich from serving up cheek. Through video-link drinks, they chat about royal beef.

A: Rum. Honestly, every recipe now has colcannon or rum.

C: Or whisky.

A: No, that’s just what you’re drinking. C: I’m drinking red wine, I’m drinking limoncello. I might drink whisky later.

A: Alright, I’ll talk about beef cheeks then. I know they don’t sound appetising, but beef cheeks are amazing. And a big shout out to my dad (Vic, head butcher and co-owner of Vic’s Meat Market), because without him no one would be eating things like oxtail, beef cheeks and brisket. The secret with beef cheeks is the sinew and connective tissue becomes gelatinous after being slowly braised, which is what gives them that juicy, unctuous… C: Texture?

A: Nah. Juicy, unctuous… texture. Yeah, okay texture. It’s about $20 a kilo and each cheek will weigh about 300-400 grams. So about $8 a cheek. They used to be a lot cheaper. It’s gone up in price because people have cottoned on to how amazing it is. I know you love brisket, and I love brisket, and I love oxtail, but in terms of braising cuts, cheek is the Queen. You have Prince Harry and Prince Philip and the other minions. But with beef cheeks you’ve got the Queen.

C: Right… well the rum adds a sweetness, a smokiness. It’s like the drummer in the band. It’s like the back note.

A: A bit like Prince Philip; he’s in the back too. But you’ve put fennel in this and you know I hate fennel. That aniseed-y taste.

C: I put fennel in everything. It adds a little high note to the back note of the rum here. You’re building flavour, it’s like building an orchestra, but in a stew.

A: Fennel for me is like Fergie. Nobody likes it.

C:

Fergie has her charm! Anyway, this is the global issue, right? And it’s a warm hug of a dish. Everyone needs a warm hug in these times. Aw, I like that Col. We can only eat with our families, so we have to share the love of food together. Everyone is craving what they’ve lost, and right now that’s travel and global flavours. They’re going to get back to what they’re missing through food.

A: That’s lovely… are you alright?

C: I think I’ve had too much limoncello.

A: C: BEEF CHEEK DAUBE WITH FENNEL AND RUM SERVES 4-6

Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

1 each large onion, carrot and

fennel bulb, chopped

2 cinnamon quills

3 garlic cloves, sliced

3 bay leaves

3/4 cup (180ml) dark rum

6 cup (1.5L) red wine

Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange, peeled

into strips

1.5kg beef cheeks, cut into 3cm pieces

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil 80g unsalted butter

8 small eschalots, peeled, left whole 250g sliced bacon, cut into 3 cm batons 300g small button mushrooms

21/ 2 tbs tomato paste

1/4 cup (35g) plain flour

3 cups (750ml) good-quality beef stock

1/ 2 bunch tarragon, finely chopped Mashed potato, to serve

Combine onion, carrot, fennel, cinnamon, garlic, bay leaves, rum, wine, citrus zest and beef in a bowl. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

Preheat oven to 160°C. Strain beef mixture, reserving marinade, beef and vegetable mixture separately. Bring marinade to the boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer for

5-6 minutes, skimming impurities from the surface. Strain through a fine sieve.

Heat half oil and half butter in a large heavy-based flameproof casserole over high heat. In batches, sear beef, stirring and tossing frequently, for 5-6 minutes until browned, set aside. Add remaining oil and butter with eschalots, bacon and mushrooms, and cook, stirring frequently, for 5- 6 minutes until vegetables have softened. Add reserved vegetables and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, then stir in flour. Return meat to the pan with marinade and stock, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to the boil, cover and braise in oven for 2 hours-2 hours 30 minutes or until meat is tender.

Skim fat from surface of beef pan. Strain, returning liquid to pan and set aside beef and vegetables in a bowl. Return pan to medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes to reduce and thicken sauce. Return beef to the sauce with tarragon and return to a simmer. Serve with mashed potato.