I make - Ox Cheek Stew

It's not a tomato heavy stew but still with nice color and taste. The lemon bits are a nice touch.

 

Ox Cheek Stew (inspired by Alison Roman's Short Rib recipe)

Precooking ox cheek

1000 g Ox Cheek, in big chunks
Water, enough to submerge the beef
2 star anises
2 cloves of garlic
2 slices of ginger
1 onion or 2 banana shallots
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp soy sauce


Stew ingredients

Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 lemon, sliced and seeds removed
1 large yellow onion, peeled, quartered
1 garlic head, peeled and separate cloves
1 red bell pepper
1 carrot
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons gochujang
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Italian dried herbs or 4 thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup vinegar or pickle juice
Beef broth
Salt and pepper to season
1 cup parsley and/or cilantro, tender leaves and stems, finely chopped

Preparation

Pre-cook the ox cheek in a pressure cooker for 18 minutes along with all listed ingredients. The minimum ingredient is water plus beef. The more ingredients you add, the better the broth is. Turn off heat after pressure cooking time. Set the pot aside to continue its natural release.

Use food processor to chop onion, garlic, red bell pepper and carrot.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chopped vegetables and lemon slices, stirring occasionally, until they get a bit of color.

Add the tomato paste and gochujang. Cook for a minute or two. If the pot looks a bit dry, add some water or white wine to deglaze.

Add the bay leaves, dried herbs, sugar, vinegar and enough broth to submerge everything. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pot.

Add the precooked ox cheeks back in and bring to a strong simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and lower the heat to low-medium. Let it simmer for 1 hour, with the last 30 mins lid off.

Check the ox cheek. They should be tender enough to insert your knife or chop stick in. If not, back on the heat for more cooking.

Serve straight from the pot or transfer the stew to a shallow bowl or plate with high sides, spooning the braising liquid over. Sprinkle with the herb mixture before serving.