Today’s dish is inspired by a classic French recipe, joue de boeuf, or beef cheeks braised in red wine, from chef Pierre Koffmann. Beef cheeks are a lean but tough cut that needs a low and slow approach to tenderise it (which may explain why most beef cheeks are processed into mince, animal feed or simply thrown in an incinerator). I’ve modified Koffmann’s original, using a smaller quantity of a different meat – in this case venison or lamb steaks – and more vegetables, to keep costs down, to increase the nutritional variety in the dish, and to make it work as a way to use up an open bottle of red wine (the original uses far more than most people would ever have left over).
Red wine-braised venison
Pierre Koffmann may be a fine-dining chef, but this dish has its origin in French peasant cuisine. In my recipe, I’ve tried to honour his refined approach while at the same time simplifying the dish by making it in one pot and with zero waste. Instead of beef cheeks, I’m using venison or lamb steaks, which are still relatively economical. The lean, tender and flavoursome meat from a deer is similar in quality to a beef cheek, though you could also make it with another economical beef cut such as shin, brisket or chuck, although if you do, ideally use pasture-reared beef for sustainability and nutritional reasons. To save energy, I’ve braised everything on a stove top instead of in the oven, though if you have the oven running already, the dish will of course cook just as well in there.
Serves 2
2 x 120g venison or lamb steaks
Salt and black pepper
2 tsp plain or wholemeal flour – I used wholemeal spelt
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra, if need be
40g smoked bacon lardons, or 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon, cut into strips
3 shallots, peeled and halved, or 1 small onion, peeled and cut into wedges
10 button mushrooms
250ml red wine
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 carrots (about 150g), trimmed and roughly chopped
Chopped parsley, to finish
Coat the two steaks in the well-seasoned flour, then shake off any excess.
Put the oil in a small casserole pot on a medium heat, then saute the lardons until golden all over. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon, keeping the fat in the pan, then add the shallots and button mushrooms. Saute until evenly browned on both sides, then scoop out with a slotted spoon. Add a dash more oil to the pan, if necessary, then brown the floured meat on both sides.
Pour in the wine, scrape the base of the pan to deglaze as it bubbles up and, once it’sboiling, add the rosemary, bay leaves and garlic. Turn down to a simmer, cover the pan and leave to cook gently for about two hours, until the meat is fork tender.
About 30 minutes before the meat is ready, return the onions, mushrooms and bacon to the pan, and add the chopped carrots. Serve hot with mashed potatoes and topped with chopped parsley.
