Ox cheeks in red wine sauce with risotto and glazed carrots

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 300 g carrot(s)
• 300 g celeriac
• 200 g onion(s)
• 4 ox cheeks
• 4 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• some flour
• 40 g butter
• 1 ½ liters red wine, dry
• 800 ml veal stock
• n. B. Thyme sprig(s), approx. 6 – 8
• 4 rosemary sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper
• 650 g carrot(s)
• 3 tsp salt
• 3 tsp butter
• 2 tsp sugar
• n. B. Salt
• some rum, e.g. Don Papa
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• n. B. Mushrooms, brown, approx. 5 – 6
• 300 g risotto rice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 100 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• n. B. Vegetable broth, approx. 200 – 400 ml

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes

from the show “The Perfect Dinner” on VOX from 16.07.2020

To make the ox cheeks, first peel, clean, and roughly dice the carrots, celery, and onions. Thoroughly remove any fat, skin, and tendons from the ox cheeks. Season with salt and pepper, and lightly dust with flour. Reserve any leftover meat and add it to the roasting pan later. Heat oil in the roasting pan, sear the ox cheeks, and remove from the pan. Then brush all over with a little mustard and set aside. Add butter to the roasting pan and sauté the vegetables. Add tomato paste and cook briefly until lightly roasted. Sprinkle a little flour over the top and cook briefly. Then return the ox cheeks to the roasting pan among the vegetables and add the thyme, rosemary, and garlic. Deglaze with red wine and reduce to 1/3 over medium heat. Add veal stock, add bay leaves, and braise in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 2.5-3 hours. Then remove the ox cheeks from the roasting pan and keep warm. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and reduce until it reaches a creamy consistency. For the glazed carrots, trim the carrot tops to 1 cm, and trim and wash the carrots with a vegetable peeler. Cook in boiling salted water for about 6-8 minutes, drain well, and let them dry. Heat butter in a pan, add 2 teaspoons of sugar, and caramelize lightly. Add the carrots and fry on all sides. Just before removing from the pan, deglaze with a little rum. For the risotto, peel and finely dice the onion. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onion over medium heat, stirring constantly, until translucent, then add the finely diced mushrooms. Add the risotto rice all at once. Continue roasting for 1-2 minutes while stirring, until the rice grains begin to crackle and become translucent. While stirring on low heat, add the wine; do not let it burn. When the wine has evaporated, slowly add ladlefuls of stock to the risotto until the rice is completely covered. As soon as the rice has absorbed the stock, add more stock a little at a time until it is covered again. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring constantly. Fold the Parmesan cheese and butter into the finished risotto. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let rest for about 1 minute, then serve. Lea prepared this recipe as a main course on the show “The Perfect Dinner” – Day 4 in the Ruhr area – on Thursday, July 16, 2020.