Braised beef cheeks recipe

Ingredients

• 2 white onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 2 sprigs sage
• 3 lb 5 oz (1.5 kg) beef cheeks (preorder from your butcher shop)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tomatoes
• 17 fl oz (500 ml) white wine
• freshly ground salt and pepper

1. Peel the onion and garlic. Cut the onion into ½–¾ in (1–2 cm) cubes and coarsely chop the garlic with the fennel seeds. Pick the sage from the stems. Pat the beef cheeks dry using paper towels and trim some of the thicker pieces of fat. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C) or 300°F (150°C) (convection oven). Melt the olive oil in a roasting pan and sear the beef cheeks over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side. Add the onions, garlic fennel mixture, and sage. Dice the tomatoes and stir in. Wait a few moments, then deglaze with some of the white wine and cook down completely. Repeat until the white wine is all used up. Pour in 2 cups water, cover, and braise for 4 hours on the middle oven rack. Add a ladle of hot water from time to time so that the sauce slowly comes together.
3. Remove the beef cheeks, slice, and transfer to a serving tray. Season the sauce to taste and serve with the meat (if desired, pour through a fine sieve first).