Serving size: Serves 4
Cuisine type: French
Cooking time: More than 2 hours
Course: Main
Favourite flavours: Beef
Convenience recipes: four or less

Real Living magazine recipe for joues de boeuf en daube (French beef cheeks).

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil
20g butter
1 large brown onion, sliced
1 bunch baby carrots, trimmed & peeled
2 celery stalks, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 large thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
2 strips orange rind
2½ tbsp plain flour
Sea salt & cracked black pepper
2 large (650g total) beef cheeks, silverskin removed & halved
1 cup red wine (such as merlot)
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 cups beef stock
2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
Handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Crusty bread, to serve

Equipment
Sharp knife
Peeler
Colander
Large ovenproof saucepan with lid
Kitchen spoon
2 medium bowls
Tongs
Wooden spoon

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Heat half each of olive oil and butter in saucepan over medium-high heat.

Cook onion, carrots and celery in saucepan for 7 mins. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaves and rind. Cook for a further 2 mins. Spoon into bowl and set aside.

Season flour with salt and pepper. Generously dust beef cheeks with seasoned flour.

Heat remaining butter and oil in same pan. Cook one side of beef cheeks for 2 mins, until golden.

Turn beef and add remaining flour. Cook for a further 2 mins, then transfer to bowl with vegetables.

Add wine and juice to saucepan, and using wooden spoon stir and scrape brown bits from base of pan (called "deglazing"). Boil for 2 mins, until reduced slightly. Add stock, vegies and meat. Stir to combine.

Cover with lid and bake in oven, stirring occasionally, for 2½ hrs, until beef is meltingly tender.

Remove from oven and stir through cannellini beans. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve Scatter over chopped parsley and enjoy with crusty bread.

Tips You can make this stew to step 5 and keep it refrigerated for up to three days. Reheat it over medium heat, and add the cannellini beans and parsley before serving. For a quicker-cooking stew, or if you can't find beef cheeks, use chuck steak instead. It's a cheaper cut and more readily available in supermarkets. Cut it into cubes and cook for about 1½ to 2 hrs in step 5.