Ingredients 

1kg of ox cheek

50g plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 bottle of All Saints Durif (a robust red wine)

2 carrots, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

200g of button mushrooms

200g of pancetta, cut into lardons

1l of veal stock

8 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 garlic cloves

1/2 orange

2 tbsp of vegetable oil

1 tbsp of butter

salt to season

black pepper to season

To serve

100g of carrots, roughly chopped

100g of onion, roughly chopped

100g of button mushrooms

100g of pancetta

1 tbsp of butter

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 105°C.

2. Season the beef with salt and pepper and dust with the seasoned flour.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over a medium heat. Gently sear the beef for a minute on each side until golden.

4. Remove the beef from the frying pan and set aside in a warm place. Add half a glass of wine to the pan to deglaze, stir and set aside. To deglaze the pan, pour in the suggested liquid and let it heat gently. Drag a wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan to free any solids that may be stuck to it.

5. Set a pan over a medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon of oil and 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Once hot, add the carrots, onions, garlic and thyme and cook for 15-20 minutes.

6. Add the remaining butter and oil to a separate pan and fry the bacon lardons and button mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add the lardons and mushrooms to the cooked vegetables, stir, and carefully drain any excess liquid from the pan.

7. Add the remaining red wine to a large saucepan, bring to the boil and carefully flambé to remove the alcohol.

8. Add all of the wine, beef, vegetables and orange to a braising pot and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 2.5 - 3.5 hours.

9. Once ready, remove the meat and carefully pass the sauce through a sieve into a saucepan. Boil on a high heat until reduced by half, then add an equal amount of veal stock. Reduce again on a high heat for 15 minutes until the sauce has a smooth, silky consistency.

10. Cut the braised beef into 4 chunks, place back into the braising pot and pour over the sauce. Return to the oven for 15 minutes.

11. To serve, heat half of the oil and butter in a pan over a medium heat and cook the carrots and onions for 15 minutes until soft.

12. In a separate pan, heat the remaining oil and butter and fry the pancetta and button mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add to the cooked vegetables and carefully drain any excess liquid from the pan. Remove the beef from the oven and stir the pancetta, mushroom and vegetable mix into the sauce. Serve immediately with creamy mashed potatoes.

Wine Match: 2017 St Leonards Vineyard Durif

A classic Rutherglen Durif dark and brooding with wonderful aromatics and a savoury, rather than heavy palate. Full flavours supple textures supported by a typically firm tannin structure.