Braised beef cheeks

Prepare 1 kg beef cheeks by trimming any excess external fat and silver skin around them.

Season generously with fine sea salt and black pepper (freshly ground).

Drizzle olive oil into a very hot wide casserole and sear the beef cheeks on high heat until deeply browned on all sides.

Remove the beef cheeks from the casserole, drain excess fat, and pat the bottom gently with a paper towel to soak any leftover grease.

Pour 100 ml Barolo into the casserole and deglaze, scraping the fond with a spatula or wooden spoon. Transfer the wine and loosened fond into a container and set aside.

Roughly chop 90 g celery, 70 g carrots, 60 g shallots, and 2 cloves garlic.

Drizzle some more olive oil into the same casserole, add the chopped vegetables, and cook for a 8-10 minutes on low.

Add 1.5 Tbsp tamarind paste, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 strip orange zest, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds (lightly crushed), 1/2 tsp juniper berries, 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, 1 sprig thyme, and 1 bay leaves, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the wine used to deglaze, plus another 250 g Barolo, and reduce by half.

Finally return the cheeks to the casserole along with 250 g beef stock.

The meat should be about two-thirds covered.

Cover and slow cook in the oven at 150°C for approximately 4 hours. Give the meat a turn every now and then.

If the meat offers no resistance when skewered, it is ready. Remove it from the casserole, strain the braising liquid and discard the aromatics.

At this point you may chill the beef cheeks and the sauce separately overnight. Reheat them gently while covered so the cheeks don’t become dry and stringy. Otherwise keep them warm while you prepare the sauce.

Reduce the strained sauce for 30 minutes until thick and glossy. Taste it: you’re looking for a deep beefiness first, followed by red wine, and finally a sour tamarind edge. If it’s too sweet, drop a tiny amount of tamarind paste to balance the flavour. If it’s too sharp, use honey instead.

Finely chop flat-leaf parsley, hazelnuts (toasted), and 1 clove garlic.

Mix with orange zest and just enough olive oil to bind it.

Put shallots (thinly sliced) into a jar and add a quick pickle of 2 parts red wine vinegar, 1 part water, 1 part sugar, and fine sea salt, enough to completely submerge them.

Refrigerate overnight.

Slice the beef cheeks before serving, and pour the jus over them. Serve with crispy roast potatoes, sautéed bitter greens (chard or chicory), and a little of the pickled shallot on the side to cut through the rich flavours. Scatter the gremolata over the beef at the table.