PREP 15m

Ingredients-

• 2 beef cheeks

• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 4 stalks of celery

• 3 large carrots

• 1 bulb of garlic

• 1 tablespoon tomato purée

• 2 sprigs of rosemary

• A small handful of thyme

• 500ml red wine

• 500ml beef stock

Instructions-

1. Season your beef cheeks with salt and pepper.

2. In a pan, heat the olive oil and brown the beef cheeks. Once browned, remove them from the pan and set them aside.

3. In the same pan, add the roughly chopped carrots, celery, and garlic. When they begin to soften, stir in the tomato purée and herbs.

4. Pour in the red wine and allow it to reduce by half.

5. Add the beef stock to the pan.

6. Transfer the contents to either an oven dish or a slow cooker.

7. Place the beef cheeks in the dish or slow cooker, ensuring they are partially submerged.

For Oven Cooking:

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C (300°F).

2. Cook the dish for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

For Slow Cooker Cooking:

1. Set your slow cooker to High and cook for 5 hours.

For the Gravy:

1. Using the remaining ingredients in the oven dish or slow cooker, remove any stringy herbs.

2. Hand-blend the mixture.

3. Add some red currant jelly or black currant jam for a slight sweetness, along with water to achieve your desired thickness.

4. Reheat the mixture in a pan until it's piping hot, and serve it as a gravy with the braised beef cheeks.