THE CHEF AND THE BUTCHER

The (beef) cheek of the Irish sets off our butcher’s aversion to colcannon. Thankfully, Colin Fassnidge has the perfect comeback to put Anthony Puharich in his place.

A It’s winter. It’s like the middle of winter. It’s the heart of winter! It’s about comfort food, nourishment, fires. It’s about…

C We get it, it’s winter! And we’re talking beef cheeks. A secondary cut of meat that is becoming quite trendy for slow cooking.

A Can we please, for what feels like the first time, not do this with colcannon? C It’s with beetroot and chickpeas! A Hallelujah. C You know what, I’ve done Middle Eastern colcannon! Hummus! A Of course you have. C You know it! We’ve taken colcannon to the sands of the desert.

A I get where you’re coming from – eating colcannon is about as good as eating sand.

C Whatever. So we’re taking beef cheeks and we’re going to cook them with loads of flavour – ginger, chilli, coriander, cumin. And serve them with earthy beetroot.

A Earth and sand. I get it. What about salt? Are you going to be like the fella from that meme… you know… Salt Bae!

C Very funny! So we have sweetness from the beef, earthy beetroot, and hummus because we can’t use potatoes.

A Has the price of potatoes gone up and they’re out of your budget now?

C Don’t you worry about potatoes. If I quit meat you’d know about it. Your Ferrari would only have three wheels!

A *Clears throat* Beef cheeks are amazing.

SLOW-COOKED BEEF CHEEKS WITH BEETROOT AND HUMMUS SERVES 6-8

1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil 4 x 500g beef cheeks, trimmed 1 onion, finely chopped 4 celery stalks, trimmed, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 4cm piece (20g) ginger, finely chopped 2 long red chillies, halved lengthways 6 fresh bay leaves 1 tbs each coriander, cumin and

caraway seeds 2 star anise 1 cinnamon quill Pared zest of 1 lemon

1/ 3 cup (80ml) red wine 2L (8 cups) beef stock 2 bunches baby golden beetroot,

cleaned, trimmed, 2cm stalks left intact 20g unsalted butter, chopped Baby mint, baby red kale leaves and

dried chilli flakes, to serve

HUMMUS

2 x 400g cans chickpeas 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp ground cumin 2 small red chillies

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Heat 2 tbs oil in a large heavy-based casserole with a lid over medium-high heat. Cook beef for 4 minutes each side or until browned. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside. Add onion, celery, garlic, ginger, chilli, bay leaves, coriander, cumin and caraway seeds, star anise, cinnamon and lemon rind to casserole and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until onion has softened. Add wine and cook, scraping bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, for 3-4 minutes or until reduced by half. Add the stock and return beef to casserole. Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 6 hours, turning beef halfway, or until beef is very tender.

In the last 2 hours of cooking, grease a baking tray and line with baking paper. Place beetroot on prepared tray, drizzle with remaining 1 tbs oil and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes or until tender. When cool enough to handle, rub off skins and discard.

Meanwhile, for the hummus, transfer chickpeas along with canning liquid to a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, cumin, chillies and 1 cup (250ml) water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until liquid has reduced slightly. Transfer to a food processor with oil, lemon juice and 1 tsp salt flakes, and whiz until smooth. Chill for 1 hour or until thickened.

Once beef is cooked, remove casserole from oven and transfer 3 cups (750ml) cooking liquid to a saucepan over high heat (set beef cheeks aside, covered, to keep warm). Bring cooking liquid to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a frypan over high heat. Add beetroot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through and golden.

Spread hummus over serving plates and top with beef, a little reduced cooking liquid and beetroot. Scatter with baby mint, baby red kale and dried chilli to serve.