Recipe: ox cheek pappardelle

 SLOW CUTS ARE my favourite.  Treat them right and you end up with melt-in-the-mouth meat that's
incredibly delicious and extremely wallet-friendly.  My usual butcher happened to be out of ox cheeks today, so I wandered to the new St. James Quarter to visit the MacDuff butcher shop at the Bonnie & Wild food market to pick up the ingredients for the dish I had in mind. 

Designed to showcase Scottish produce, the market includes a variety of food kiosks, including Masterchef champion Gary MacLean's first restaurant venture, Creel Caught, a bottle shop from wine wholesaler Inverarity Morton, as well as a dedicated events space.  I've felt for a long time that Edinburgh needs a permanent food hall and I sincerely hope this turns out to be a success.

As the friendly butcher packed my meat, I began chatting to another chap behind the counter.  He just happened to be Andrew MacDuff, who represents the fourth generation of the family business. He kindly talked me through the nifty salt ageing chamber that's a major feature of the shop and introduced me to his sister Lindsay, who deals with the marketing side of the business.  Lindsay gave me an impromptu tour of the market; it was exciting to chat with each business, but what struck me was their desire to work together to make a success of this place. 

This recipe isn't exactly a summer dish, but I was just in the mood for it. It's a fairly straightforward recipe that's very rewarding and a prime example of why a slow cooker is a sound investment in any kitchen.

Ingredients (serves 4):

650g ox cheeks

1x onion, roughly chopped

1x carrot, roughly chopped

1x garlic clove, whole

1tsp tomato puree                                                                             

300mls red wine

1x tin of organic chopped tomatoes

300mls beef stock

1 bay leaf

500g dried papardelle

Parsley, chopped

Grana Padano cheese, to finish

Salt and pepper

Plain flour

Method:

1) Place the base of the slow cooker on a medium heat with a splash of olive oil. Season the flour and place the ox cheeks into the mix to coat.  Put the cheeks into the hot pan and colour on both sides.  Set aside. Add the onion and carrot into the pan and gently colour for 2 mins, then add the garlic for a further minute. Add the tomato puree and stir to coat the vegetables.

2)  Now add in the red wine and bring to the boil, giving it a quick stir to help deglaze the pan. Place the ox cheeks back into the pan and add the tomatoes, stock and bay leaf.  Lightly season and bring to the boil, then place into the slow cooker with the lid on for 3 1/2 - 4 hours until the meat falls apart with a fork.  

3) Remove the cheeks and shred with a fork. Remove the bay leaf and blitz the reamining contents of the pot into a smooth sauce.  Grate a little of the Grana Padano cheese into the sauce and check the seasoning. This can all be done a day or two in advance.

4) Next, bring a large saucepan of salted water upto the boil with a splash of olive oil.  Add the pasta and turn the heat down to gentle simmer.  Cook for 6-7 minutes then drain.

5) While the pasta is cooking, reheat the sauce and return the shredded beef to the mix.

6) Spoon a little of the meat mix into a bowl, then add the pasta followed by more of the meat.  Finish with the parsley and a further generous grating of Grana Padano.