Pearl barley risotto with beerbraised beef cheeks & onions

A LITTLE EFFORT

SERVES 4 PREP 1 hr 30 mins plus 6 hrs marinating COOK 61/ hrs

FOR THE BRAISED CHEEKS 2 beef cheeks, fully trimmed 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 bay leaf 1 small bunch of thyme 500ml strong-flavoured ale 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 litres beef stock 1 good-quality beef stock cube FOR THE GARNISH 2 small onions, peeled and halved or

quartered 500ml strong-flavoured ale 4 sticks salsify, washed 1 lemon, halved 50g butter FOR THE RISOTTO 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed 200g pearl barley, soaked in cold

water for 1 hr, then drained 1 litre hot chicken stock 100g flat-leaf parsley 100ml double cream 25g Parmesan, freshly grated

1 Put the beef cheeks in a large bowl, add the garlic, bay and thyme and pour over the ale. Cover in the fridge and marinate overnight, or for at least 6 hrs. Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. 2 Lift the cheeks from the marinade and cut in half. Heat a flameproof casserole dish until hot, add the oil and the cheeks, then fry each side until dark brown. Pour in the reserved marinade and beef stock, then bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid or foil and braise in the oven for 6 hrs, or until the cheeks are very tender and the liquid has reduced. 3 Lift the cheeks from the sauce and set aside. Return the casserole to a medium heat and bring the sauce to the boil. Cook until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and season. Return the cheeks to the sauce and keep warm until ready to serve. 4 While the cheeks cook, make the garnish. Put the onions and ale in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 45 mins or until the onions are very tender. Leave to cool in the ale while you prepare the salsify. 5 Peel the salsify and cut into batons. Drop them straight away into a bowl of cold water with the lemon halves in it. Put a pan of water on to boil, add the salsify and a squeeze of one of the lemon halves, and simmer for 8-10 mins, or until just tender. Drain and set aside. 6 To make the risotto, put the garlic, barley and enough hot chicken stock to cover in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10-12 mins or until the barley is tender. While the barley cooks, put the parsley and 125ml chicken stock into a blender and blitz to a fne purée. Add to the risotto, then the cream and Parmesan, and heat through. Check the seasoning and remove from the heat. 7 To fnish, heat the butter in a frying pan and add the halved onions, cook over a medium heat until golden brown. Next, add the salsify and fry until browned. Spoon some of the risotto into the centre of each plate. Place a beef cheek in the middle and add the onions. Add the salsify, then crumble a tiny bit of stock cube onto the beef cheek before serving.

CATCH UP WITH THE SERIES If you missed any of James’s teatime series, you can catch up on BBC iPlayer. ‘Beef cheeks are quite tough – a consequence of all that chewing – so they need a nice long, slow cook.

However, they are incredibly lean and a great economical cut to use for pies and casseroles, as you get a lot of meat for your money.’