Braised beef cheeks with minted carrot purée

SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK TIME 4 HOURS 45 MINUTES

⅓ cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil 4 (1.6kg) beef cheeks, trimmed 1 medium (150g) brown onion, chopped finely

1 medium (120g) carrot, chopped finely 1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon plain flour

1⅓ cups (330ml) dark beer

½ cup (125ml) dry red wine

¼ cup (70g) tomato paste

2 cups (500ml) beef stock

2 cups (500ml) water

¼ cup fresh mint leaves MINTED CARROT PURÉE

3 sprigs fresh mint, leaves removed, stems reserved

3 large (540g) carrots, sliced thinly 30g butter, chopped coarsely

3 cups (750ml) water

1 Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan-forced). 2 Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Season beef; cook, turning, until browned all over. Remove from pan.

3 Heat remaining oil in same pan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and rosemary; cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until vegetables soften.

4 Add flour; cook, stirring, until mixture bubbles and thickens. Add beer, wine, paste, stock, water and beef; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 3½ hours or until beef is very tender and starting to fall apart. Season to taste.

5 MINTED CARROT PURÉE: Finely chop mint leaves; set aside. Place carrot, butter, water and reserved mint stems in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until carrots are tender. Discard stems. Strain; reserving cooking liquid. Blend or process carrot mixture with 2 tablespoons reserved liquid, adding more liquid if necessary, until smooth. Stir in chopped mint; season. Cover to keep warm.

6 Serve the beef with pan juices, carrot purée and mint. Beef suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.