Braised Beef Cheek with Sweet and Sour Onions

Is a gourmet second course with an intense flavor, which combines tradition and refinement. This recipe represents a perfect balance between the authentic flavors of the past and the new trends of modern cuisine, giving an enveloping and satisfying taste experience. The cheek instead turns out to be a true culinary treasure. After careful marinating and long slow cooking, it becomes tender, succulent and irresistibly tasty. A blend that transforms, enhancing the richness of its sauce and blending harmoniously with the wine, for a refined and enveloping result. The dish is served in slices, with the blended cooking juices (consisting of wine and vegetables), which adds extra depth of flavor. The sauce, in addition to flavoring meat, can also be used to season a good pasta dish, making it even more special. Although traditional preparation takes time, there are now faster variations, such as cooking in a pressure cooker or versions without marinating. To get a beef cheek that melts in your mouth, it is essential to follow a few simple tricks. First of all, an initial browning over high heat allows you to seal the juices inside the meat, preventing them from being dispersed during cooking. After that, a long cooking over low heat allows the fibers to gradually soften, making the meat remarkably tender. In this recipe I want to offer you a great classic among the side dishes for meat main courses: sweet and sour onions. Simple to prepare, they are appreciated for their inviting aroma and the perfect balance between the sweetness of sugar and the pungent note of vinegar. And now let's discover together the ingredients needed to prepare our Braised Beef Cheek with Sweet and Sour Onions. Ingredients 4 beef cheeks weighing about 800 grams / 1 kilo Wine 1 clove of garlic Mixed for sautéing: a celery stalk, 2 carrots, 2 white onions 1 bay leaf 2 cloves 2 juniper berries rosemary, sage extra virgin olive oil a knob of butter salt peppercorns Ingredients for the sweet and sour onions 400 grams of onions 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons of brown sugar 20 ml of water 40 grams of butter + 20 grams of butter at the end of cooking 1 sprig of thyme if you like salt freshly ground black pepper Preparation Wash and peel the onions, then dry them gently with a sheet of kitchen paper. In a pan pour 20 ml of water and add the two tablespoons of sugar. Bring to the heat and let the sugar dissolve completely. Add the butter and mix until you get an amber-colored mixture similar to caramel. At this point, add the onions, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then deglaze with vinegar and let it evaporate. If desired, we can add a sprig of thyme, which we will remove at the end of cooking. Cover with a lid and cook for 30-40 minutes, adjusting the time according to the size of the onions. If necessary, add a drop of water during cooking to prevent them from drying out too much. At the end of cooking, incorporate the last 20 g of butter and mix well. In a saucepan, melt a knob of butter with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, then brown the meat on all sides until evenly browned. Once well sealed, remove it from the saucepan and keep it aside. In the same pot add the carrots and the washed, peeled and chopped onion, together with the garlic and herbs: juniper berries, bay leaf, cloves, a sprig of rosemary, a few leaves of sage and peppercorns. Let it flavor, then put the meat back in the pot and deglaze with 300 ml of wine. Lower the heat, add salt and continue cooking over low heat for at least 3-3 and a half hours, until the meat is tender and juicy. Once cooked, separate the meat from the cooking juices and blend the sauce with an immersion mixer until you get a smooth and velvety sauce. Serve the meat cut into slices, sprinkled with its sauce, accompanied by sweet and sour onions.