Braised Ox Cheeks

Braised Ox Cheeks are a cheep cut of meat that when slow cooked over a long period allows the meat to break down and become very tender. Serve this with a creamy mash and winter greens or with suet dumplings.

Braised Ox Cheeks Ingredients:-
1KG Beef or Ox Cheeks trimmed of skin and fat and cut into large chunks
2 Celery sticks diced
1 Onion – medium – sliced
1 Leek, quartered and cut into chunks
3 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
2 Carrots - large halved and cut into chunks
4/5 tablespoons of plain Flour to dust the Ox cheeks
Salt & Pepper
½ bottle red Wine – use Wine that you would drink
1 ltr Chicken Stock or you can use a stock cube with water
Thyme
300gm sliced or Button Mushrooms

Method:-
Trim the Ox cheeks and cut into cubes. Use a sharp knife as the Ox Cheeks will be quite tough to cut.
Take 4/5 tablespoons of plain Flour and season with salt and pepper and then add 1/2 a teaspoon of dried Thyme( if you can’t get fresh Thyme). Dip the Ox cheeks into the flour and pat off excess flour.
Save any excess flour.
Fry the Ox Cheeks until brown sealing in any juices. Do this in several batches so as not to fill the frying pan. Filling the Frying pan will cause a broiling effect and not a frying effect that we want.
Place the meat into a large oven proof Casserole dish.
In the same frying pan, fry off the Onion, Leek, Carrot, Celery and Garlic until they soften. Add in the saved excess flour and fry a little more before adding the vegetables to the Casserole dish. The cooked out flour will thicken the casserole. Poor the Wine into the frying pan and deglaze the pan. Bring the Wine to a boil and reduce by half then add to the Casserole dish. Add in two sprigs of fresh Thyme. Top the Casserole dish up with the Litre of chicken Stock and put into a pre heated oven and cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours at 150 degrees centigrade.
In the last half an hour remove the lid to allow sauce to thicken and toss in 300 grams of sliced or Button Mushrooms.
If you want a really thick sauce use a few tablespoons of cornflour and add a little water to make a paste. Add to the casserole and allow to cook and thicken the stock. Serve with a creamy mashed potato and steamed winter greens.

How to make Leek & Potato soup

For those cold winter days, try making some Leek and Potato Soup to warm yourself up.
Here is a great recipe for you to try.

How to make Leek & Potato soup. Follow our video recipe for a very tasty soup for those cold winter days.
Leek and Potato Soup
Ingredients
1lb Leeks (3 medium sized leeks quartered, washed and diced)
2 Carrots (peeled, washed, quartered and diced)
2 Celery Sticks (washed and diced)
1 small Onion (peeled and diced)
2 large Potatoes (peeled washed and diced)
2 pints of Chicken Stock (or water and Chicken Stock cube)
Salt
Pepper
250ml / 1/4 pint of Milk or Cream (plus additional cream to garnish)
Parsley or Chives to garnish

Method
Quarter the Leeks checking for dirt and wash thoroughly, then dice.
Peel, wash and quarter the Carrots, and then dice.
Wash and dice the Celery
Peel, split in half  and dice all the Onion.
Peel, wash and dice the Potato.
In a large saucepan, sauté, over a low heat, the Carrot Onion and Celery. We want to soften, not add colour. When soft, add in the Leek and sauté for a few minutes before adding the Potatoes. After a few minutes on the hob,, add in 2 pints of Chicken Stock and bring to a boil and then leave to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
Add in the milk or cream, and season with salt and pepper. Return to the heat for a further 5 minutes.
Use a stick blender or a blender and blend the soup to the texture you wish.
Pour into bowls and garnish with a spoonful of cream and parsley or chives to decorate.
Serve hot with crusty bread.