Intimate wagyu stew

SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 20 MINS // COOK 4 HRS

“Eyal calls this ‘intimate’ wagyu because it used to be made with the onglet, an intimate part of the cow that there’s only one of and that few people get to eat,” says Gal. “This dish is all about the long, slow cook to get the meat to melting point – at Miznon we cook it overnight for seven to eight hours.” Pictured p96.

1 kg wagyu chuck, cut into

4cm pieces

80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil

10 gm (¼ cup) coarsely ground

black peppercorns

1 carrot, quartered lengthways and cut into chunks

½ parsnip, cut into chunks ½ white onion, quartered ½ long green chilli, finely chopped

Warm pita pockets and Israeli pickles, such as dill-pickled cucumbers, to serve

Preheat oven to 150°C.

Toss meat in a bowl with 60ml olive oil and ground pepper to coat well. Heat a casserole (preferably cast iron) over high heat and when it’s very hot, sear the meat in two batches stirring occasionally, until deep golden (5-6 minutes). Transfer to a plate. Add remaining olive oil to casserole, then add vegetables and stir occasionally to get some colour on them

(3-5 minutes).

Remove casserole from heat, return the meat to the casserole and add chilli. Add enough water to cover meat by about 2cm and season to taste with sea salt (the best thing to do is taste the liquid after it’s boiled to check seasoning). Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and braise in the oven until tender (3¾-4 hours). Uncover, increase temperature to 220°C and cook until liquid is reduced slightly and meat darkens

(15 minutes). Serve with warm pita pockets and pickles.