BEEF CHEEKS WITH EGGPLANT & CORIANDER SALSA VERDE

COOK TIME: 2-3 hours PREP TIME: 20 minutes SERVES: 6

Cooked the right way, beef cheeks are so sticky and full of meaty deliciousness, it's like eating a meat gummy bear! That might not sound so tasty, but if you haven't tried them, trust me, they're worth it.

INGREDIENTS

1kg beef cheeks

4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 1 onion, peeled and diced

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme

4 cups beef stock

1 cup red wine

4 tbsp tomato paste

2 eggplants, cut into 2cm strips 2 cups red wine (optional)

4 tbsp cooking oil sea salt and cracked pepper

METHOD

1 Pre-heat the oven to 160°C bake.

2 Heat a heavy pot or cast-iron frypan on the stove. Season the meat generously with salt and cracked pepper.

3 Drizzle half the oil over the meat and rub it in, then sear the beef cheeks in the pan, turning until well coloured on all sides. Remove and set aside.

4 Drain out the beef fat from the pan, then add another 2 tbsp of oil. Sauté the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme, then add the red wine. Reduce by half, then add the beef stock, tomato paste, and meat. Bring back up to the boil on top of the stove, simmer for 10 minutes, then place the lid on the pan and put it in the oven. Check after 90 minutes – you want to keep cooking until the meat is tender and can be easily pulled apart with a fork, which can take up to 2-3 hours.

5 Take out of the oven, remove the lid, put it back on the stove and bring it back up to a simmer. Add the eggplant wedges and simmer for a further 20 minutes. 6 Serve with pearl barley risotto (recipe at right) and coriander salsa verde (recipe top right).