Meat market

Our duelling duo get a little cheeky.

C Beef cheeks are an expensive commodity, but they are well worth the money. All you do is sear them and braise them. Sometimes I put a bit of licorice root in the pot.

A I remember for my TV show you put licorice in. And your tip about putting the lid on so you don’t lose the steam.

C Yes. You also don’t cut the cheek when the beef is hot because you lose all the steam and it dries out the meat. And I’d use a Le Creuset casserole – best piece of equipment you can buy. A Can I have a few pots? Cast iron is king. C Maybe? Anyway, remember Janni Kyritsis did the wild weed pie? But you don’t have to get too wild; use kale, chard, whatever is in. Warrigal greens if you want to pick them.

A Are we foraging again? I don’t want to forage. We did it once, not again.

C You know what you do? You bring your kids down to the Botanic Gardens on a Saturday with a shopping bag and you empty the joint. And they have it all nice and clean for you – all you have to do is just cut it, and walk out! It’s illegal, but… Anyway, so you have all your meat and veg in your Le Creuset, then you buy your puff pastry in the shop and you put it on top, then you egg wash and salt the pastry, bake it in the oven and that’s it.

A Replace the Le Creuset with something else if they don’t send a couple of pots.

C I actually quite like Chasseur, too. In the blue. The large pot. A I’ll do it in a baking tin if all else fails. C We grew up with secondary cuts so we had to adjust with braises to cook them right. It’s cool outside; they’re warming. It’s a comforting hug.

A Beef cheeks are the best for braising.

C They’re the L plates of braising. A Can’t muck it up. C You cook it till it falls apart. Till you can’t cook it anymore. Even the butcher could cook it in his new Le Creuset pot!

A In the orange one! I like the orange one! I love this dish because, forever and a day, cheeks have always been served as is, just with a side of mash or something. But to do it in a pie with puff pastry…

C Pie’s the limit!

BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS & GREENS POT PIE SERVES 6

Begin this recipe 4 hours ahead.

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil 2kg beef cheeks 1 each onion, carrot and

celery stalk, chopped 4 garlic cloves, crushed

1/ 2 cup (140g) tomato paste 2 cups (500ml) red wine 2 cups (500ml) beef stock 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce 1 tbs plain flour 1 tsp red wine vinegar 1/ 2 bunch green kale, stalks discarded, leaves torn 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Heat the oil in a large heavy-based flameproof casserole with a fitted lid. In batches, add beef and cook, turning, for 6 minutes or until browned, then transfer beef to a plate.

Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic, and cook, stirring regularly, for 8 minutes or until softened. Return beef to casserole, add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes to cook out the paste. Add wine, stock and Worcestershire sauce, and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring twice, for 3 hours or until beef is very tender. Remove from heat, transfer beef to a dish and coarsely shred with two forks.

Place cooking liquid over high heat, bring to the boil, gradually stir through flour and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until thickened. Stir through beef and vinegar. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Transfer beef mixture to a cold, heavy-based flameproof casserole (or wait until the casserole you used is completely cooled) and top with kale. Brush inside edge of casserole (just above the filling) with egg and top with pastry, tucking in pastry around the edge. Score lines 2cm apart, cut a hole in the centre and brush with egg. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden.