The beauty of the braise - a tale of slow food and winter warmth

With the grim monster that is January safely behind us, we can all begin to look forward to longer, brighter days. But February is always keen to hand out bitter reminders that winter hasn't gone yet. When it does, my advice is to fight fire with fire, well winter with winter actually. Celebrate winter's wonders, safe in the knowledge that it's on its way out, by indulging in the slow braise!

Perhaps of all the dishes I cook, Boeuf Bourguignon, is the closest to my heart (and probably sticks to it the most as well!). It is a properly serious dish. Master it and you'll not only feel like a true cook, but have also gained a friend. When I first embarked on my journey of food obsession, this was one of the mainstays of my repertoire and it has stayed with me ever since. It never fails to impress guests and it would certainly be a contender for my last supper. A big hunk of ox cheek ready to fall apart and glazed with a sticky dark hue of well reduced braising liquor - this is the real deal!

But it isn't only beef that lends itself to the leisurely pace of the braise. Lamb, pork and veal can be yieldingly majestic as well. My ultimate curry is a lamb shank rogan josh, cooked to the point when it becomes impossible to tell where the lambiness (a word?) ends and the warmth of the spices begin. Or what about a lamb shoulder slowly roasted for four hours until it can be carved with a spoon? Or pork cheeks braised along with clove, star anise and ginger and served with champ and its deliciously aromatic gravy, sweetened with just a hint of honey? And as for osso buco, classically served with risotto alla milanese...? Can't winter last just a little bit longer?

Daube of Ox Cheek

A 'daube' of beef is the traditional provencal name for a cheap cut of beef slowly braised in red wine. It has though been adapted by chefs to simply mean a slow cooked, meltingly tender piece of meat - a 'daube' of pork shoulder for example. So which cut of beef makes the best 'daube'? Whilst shin and short-rib are contenders, the irrefutable 'king of the braise' is ox cheek. Not only are the size and shape 'just right' once trimmed, but both the texture and taste after 4 hours of cooking are simply sublime. Cheek is the muscle that does the most work in a such a prolific ruminator as the cow. This means it is initially tough. But put in the work to break its resistance and the rewards are incomparable.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Let's begin by looking at a classic, boeuf bourguignon, for which I have provided two photographs to tempt you; one with a classic presentation and one with a bit more of a contemporary look.

Classic Boeuf  Bourguignon with horseradish mash

1. How many cheeks you need per portion is wholly dependent on the size of the cheek and the composition of the rest of your meal. If this is a Saturday night in main course only affair with a bottle of Gevrey Chambertin, then I'd be tempted to serve a whole cheek per portion. However if your cheeks are on the large side and there are more courses involved, then half a cheek will no doubt suffice - it's your call! But do remember that they shrink considerably during the cooking process. The first task is to trim the cheeks of the excess fat and connective tissue and then marinate them for 24 hours in red wine with whole garlic cloves, thyme and shallots. After this, remove the cheeks from the marinade, reserving this for the braise, pat them dry and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Coat them with flour, shaking of the excess, and then sear on a high heat until browned and a little bit crusty (this will cook away during the 4 hours braising process)
2. Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees C. Place the cheeks in a large oven proof casserole dish and cover with the red wine marinade, adding more red wine if need be. Add two quartered onions, a whole head of garlic cut in half, a generous helping of thyme, about 250g of good quality smoked streaky bacon, two quartered large carrots and two/three sticks of celery. 25g of dried porcini mushrooms will add depth to the braising liquid, but this is optional. Ensure all the contents of the pan are covered by adding beef stock. Bring the pan to a simmer, put a lid on it or cover it with tin foil and place in the pre-heated oven. Cook for 4 hours, checking to see that the liquid hasn't dried out from time to time.  
3. After 4 hours, carefully remove the cheeks with a slotted spoon and set aside. Strain the braising liquid into large wide frying pan, adding a dessert spoon of dijon mustard and disregard the solids. Reduce the sauce to a coating consistency and stir in a good knob of butter. Return the cheeks to the pan and set aside
4. In another large frying pan or wok add a good knob of butter, a healthy pinch of sugar and a smaller one of sea salt. Add about 4 small pickling onions per serving and coat with the butter. Add water to cover and boil on a rapid heat until it reduces to a glaze. Set aside the glazed onions and keep warm. Repeat the process with some Chanterey carrots, or carrots cut to size. Also set aside and keep warm. 
5. Prepare some beautifully buttery and smooth mash. Flavour with mustard or horseradish if you like.
6. Pan-fry some button mushrooms in butter
7. To serve warm some large bowls or pasta plates. Place the cheek portion in the centre of the bowl and pour over a generous helping of the source. Attractively arrange the onions, carrots and mushrooms around the cheek. Serve with the mash for comfort heaven!

A 'posher' presentation of daube of ox cheek in red wine

Variations - Ox cheek rendang

I totally agree with Rick Stein, when he stated that beef rendang was amongst the the ten greatest curries of the world. It perfectly encapsulates the mix of Indian and South East Asian flavours that define Malaysian cuisine. My take on it uses ox cheek to give it an added unctuous quality which, in my humble opinion, takes the dish to new levels.

1. The first job is to make a paste from green chillies, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, lime leaf, turmeric, cinnamon and cumin. As with all spice pastes, exact quantities vary according to taste, but I would use 12 birds eye chillies, equal quantities of ginger and galangal (about a very large thumb), 3 sticks of lemon grass, 6 lime leaves, 6+ cloves of garlic and a level teaspoon each of cumin, cinnamon and turmeric powder. Wiz these up in a blender with a splash of water to help start the process. If you want to be really authentic (which unless you are a Minangkabau woman, by definition you will never be) then use a pestle and mortar!  
2. Season the ox cheeks and sear in a hot pan, set aside 
3. Fry off the paste in a little coconut oil preferably to release the aromas and add coconut milk and a little beef stock to create your braising liquid/broth, set aside
4. Sweat two thinly sliced onions until soft and sweet. Add the ox cheeks and the braising liquid, ensuring the cheeks are covered. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a low simmer, cover with a cartouche and cook for 4 hours. When ready carefully lift out the cheeks and pass the broth through a sieve for a more refined finish. Add some shitake mushrooms and sliced spring onions to the hot broth and cook for a further minute or so.
5. To serve place a cheek portion in the centre of a large bowl and pour the aromatic broth over the cheeks. Garnish with shredded Thai basil (if you can get it) and serve with a side of purple sprouting broccoli with oyster sauce and some steamed coconut rice. Delicious!!

 

Daube of ox cheek rendang

My Lamb shank rogan josh - serves 4

To apply Rick Stein's top ten curries of the world test once again then this would without doubt be a strong contender for the number one spot. I'm not sure if it is culturally accurate, hence the title 'my' lamb rogan josh, but it is delicious. It is essentially lamb shanks cooked with tomatoes, onions and garlic with an extremely aromatic garam masala and fresh chillies. Here it is served with spiced roasted tomatoes and onions. What I love so much about this dish is that the lamb and the spices infuse as one glorious flavour and it becomes difficult to distinguish where the lambiness ends and the warm aroma of the spices begins. This is what I call true gastronomy!

1. Season the lamb shanks and sear them in a hot pan. Set aside
2. Roast 4 cloves, six green cardamom pods, a teaspoon of cumin, fennel and coriander seeds, a cinnamon stick and half a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in a dry frying plan. Blend these to a course powder along with half a teaspoon of turmeric and a good teaspoon of garam masala. You now have your own extremely aromatic garam masala!  
3. Sweat two finely sliced onions in a pan until soft, sweet and browned (not burnt in anyway though). Add a splash of water from time to stop the onions from burning. Near the end of the process add six cloves of garlic and some root ginger which have both been crushed to a pulp with a bit of sea salt.  Add sliced fresh chillies according to taste.
4. Add all of the spice mix and cook out in the oil for a bit, making sure it doesn't burn as the spices will turn bitter. Add two tins of tomatoes and top up with water. Place the shanks in the liquid, ensuring that the are well covered. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a low simmer. Cover with a cartouche and cook for 2 1/2 hours.
5. When ready remove the shanks and blend the sauce for a more refined finish, or leave as it is. It's up to you. 
6. To serve place a lamb shank in the centre of the plate. Surround with some spiced roasted onions and and tomatoes, pour over the sauce and scatter chopped coriander over and, if you wish, some very thinly sliced green chillies for added heat. Serve with a whole spice pilaf. Curry heaven!!

And finally......

Irish Stew

Many years ago, my wife and I were dining at Richard Corrigan's restaurant at Lindsay House in Soho (which incidentally is now closed although Corrigan is still very much alive and kicking!) when we got talking to another couple who turned out to be friends of Mr Corrigan. They asked us to join their table and it wasn't long before Richard Corrigan also sat down with us. We were then treated to wine, cheese and cognac on the house. I had just begun my journey of food obsession and Corrigan was one of my early heroes so needless to say I was a little in awe. Thankfully he was a humble enough guy for me to lose my star struck disposition and I was privileged enough to talk food with someone I still consider to be a true food genius. His passion was evident for all to see and I remember very clearly how he waxed lyrical over the gastronomic virtues of an Irish Stew. His recipe for Irish Stew is, to my mind, without equal so I'm not going to bore you with the details, you can look it up yourself. I will share with you though his recommendation to drink it with a chilled Beaujolais which is a marriage made in heaven.

Irish Stew. So simple, so delicious

And with this I thank you for reading, I hope that you will try one of my recipes and I bid you farewell until the next time. Happy cooking....!