Slow-cooked Beef Cheek Ragù

Slow-cooked beef cheek ragù. Who even is Ragu? is it a person? I don’t know. But I do know that this meltingly tender beef cheek served with just-cooked pappardelle and sprinkle with lashings of parmesan is the perfect meal for any night, particularly date night. I love cooking for my partner, even better with my partner. Ragù is cooked with red wine so why not open up a couple bottles and enjoy a glass or seven while you’re at it.

SERVES: 8

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 kilograms beef cheeks, trimmed, halved, cut into 4cm pieces
80 grams pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2½ cups red wine
1 cup passata
2 teaspoons caster sugar
sea salt and ground pepper

TO SERVE
hot cooked pappardelle
1 cup freshly
grated parmesan
oregano leaves

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Heat the oil in a large heavy-based ovenproof casserole dish and, in batches, sear the beef cheeks on all sides for a few minutes. Remove to a dish and set aside.

Add the pancetta to the dish and cook over a medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, then reduce the heat and add the onion, celery, garlic, rosemary and oregano. Cook for 10 minutes until the onion is softened but not coloured. Add the tomato paste, wine, passata and sugar and stir to combine. Season to taste and bring to a boil.

Add the beef cheeks back to the dish, cover and braise in the oven for about 4 hours until meltingly tender. Remove and shred the beef cheeks and add back to the sauce.

TO SERVE: Serve the ragù over hot pappardelle and top with parmesan and fresh oregano.