Slow-cooked Beef Cheeks with Butter Bean Purée

These beef cheeks are slow-cooked until so meltingly tender you could eat them with a spoon. Creamy butter bean purée (or potato mash if preferred) is the best accompaniment for this dish.

1.5kg beef cheeks, trimmed of sinew 1 large onion, finely diced

1 celery stalk, finely diced

1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced 4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups full-bodied red wine

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

2 cups liquid beef stock 2 x 400g cans butter beans, drained 2 cloves garlic, crushed

¼-¹ ³ cup extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Pat the beef dry with paper towels then season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a little oil in a large flameproof casserole pan set over a medium-high heat and brown the beef in two batches for 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.

Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Stir in the wine, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until the wine is reduced by a third. Add the thyme, bay leaves and stock. Bring to the boil then return beef to the pan.

Cover the pan and place in the oven for 3 hours, or until the beef is very tender. Remove the beef to one side and cook the sauce over high heat for 10-15 minutes, skimming any scum from the surface, to reduce and thicken. Adjust the seasoning of the sauce with salt and pepper.

Purée: Place the beans and garlic in a food processor. Add the oil and salt and pepper and process until smooth. Heat in a pot set over a medium heat, stirring continuously until hot.

To serve, top the purée with the beef and spoon over the sauce. Serves 6