Bacon jam-glazed ox cheek, charred cauliflower, turnips & leaves
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- A little effort
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 ox cheeks, trimmed and cut in half
- olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 stick celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 glass red wine
- 500ml beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of each rosemary or thyme
- 3 tbsp bacon or chilli jam
- 2cm piece horseradish, peeled
- 200ml white wine vinegar
- 80g sugar
- 10g salt
- ½ tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 bunch (save the leaves for later) baby turnips
- 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 sprig thyme, leaves picked
Method
- STEP 1
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Season the ox cheeks and fry them in 1 tbsp olive oil until brown. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole. In the same pan, fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until soft and light golden. Add the wine, reduce it by 3/4, then pour it over the ox cheeks and add the beef stock and herbs. Cover and cook in the oven for 3½-4 hours, or until the cheeks give way when pressed with a spoon. Allow to cool in the stock if you are cooking them the day before.
- STEP 2
For the pickled turnips, bring all the ingredients (except the turnips) to the boil with 100ml water and strain. Slice the turnips thinly and pour the pickle liquid over, covering them completely, then chill.
- STEP 3
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Blanch the cauliflower in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, until it’s cooked but has a little bite. Drain well, then put the cauliflower onto a roasting tray. Scatter over the thyme, drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until it’s just starting to blacken.
- STEP 4
Lift the ox cheeks out of the gravy and reduce it over a high heat to a thick glaze. Add the bacon jam and mix well. Put the ox cheeks back in and spoon the sauce over them a few times to glaze. Put the casserole in the oven for 5-8 minutes, alongside the cauliflower, to warm through and become sticky. Dress the turnip leaves with 1 tsp olive oil.
- STEP 5
Put a piece of ox cheek in the centre of each plate, add some cauliflower, and spoon some glaze over the meat. Lay dressed turnip leaves and pickled turnip on the plates and finish with a good grating of horseradish.
