A few weeks ago I made beef cheek ragu , two large cheeks slow cooked until they begin to fall apart with red wine , tinned tomatoes, dried wild mushrooms, onions , garlic , bay leaves and oregano . Enough for a couple of meals for two people so a good portion was still in the freezer.
Beef Cheek Ragu
2 large beef cheeks
300g of tinned tomatoes
1 large onion finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 pint of red wine
1 tbsp of dried wild mushrooms
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to season
1 bay leaf
- Fry the onion and garlic in a large lidded cast iron pot or casserole dish
- Add the beef cheeks whole
- Pour over the red wine, mushrooms, bay leave ,tomatoes and vinegar
- Cover and place in 150degC oven for 2.5 hours
- Even better if left overnight
Back from a whole week studying in London and a weekend at my Mums and that means that I have not cooked for more than a week I was desperate to get back in the kitchen and defrosting something from the freezer wasn’t quite going to scratch a culinary itch. So I decided to make some Gnocchi to accompany it , with delicious wild garlic to add a hint of green garlickiness. Carpets of it in British woodlands right now , or from your friendly vegebox ( Thank you lovely River Nene)
The little gnocchi pillows were perfect carriers for a rich beef ragu the cheek flakes beautifully when cooked and forming a thick sauce.
Wild Garlic Gnocchi
400g of potatoes peeled
200g of plain flour
1 egg
Pinch of salt
Handful of wild garlic leaves
- Boil the potatoes until soft
- Liquidise the egg with the salt and garlic leaves
- Mash the potatoes into the egg and add the flour
- Miz well to form the gnocchi roll , heaped tablespoon onto a floured surface
- Cut into 1 cm pieces and roll with a fork
- Place on a floured tray and leave to dry for 30 minutes
- To cook drop into a pan of boiling salted water cook until they rise to the top.
What a lovely lovely blog you have, full of delicious recipes and photo’s. I have had a good look through your post’s and it’s like you have catered your recipes exactly to my tastes!!! I have only just started my own food blog this month and its a work in progress but i am going to keep at it! I will most defiantly be visiting again!
Sam.x
This looks delicious. I wish I could get beef cheek around here! The wild garlic gnocchi look fabulous.
Hi, I’m working on a blog post about different wild garlic recipes and your gnocchi sound and look delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Superp recipe. Really tasty. Had an idea that beef cheeka would make a good ragu and happily found your recipe!!
Maximum party food as it tastes and sounds decadent but isnt in the slightest.