Stewed Ox-cheek is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of a boiled ox cheek, the liquid being thickened with an onion roux and hightly flavoured before serving. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Stewed Ox-cheek.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
STEWED OX-CHEEK.
638. INGREDIENTS.—1 cheek, salt and water, 4 or 5 onions, butter and flour, 6 cloves, 3 turnips, 2 carrots, 1 bay-leaf, 1 head of celery, 1 bunch of savoury herbs, cayenne, black pepper and salt to taste, 1 oz. of butter, 2 dessertspoonfuls of flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of Chili vinegar, 2 tablespoonfuls of mushroom ketchup, 2 tablespoonfuls of port wine, 2 tablespoonfuls of Harvey's sauce.
Mode.—Have the cheek boned, and prepare it the day before it is to be eaten, by cleaning and putting it to soak all night in salt and water. The next day, wipe it dry and clean, and put it into a stewpan. Just cover it with water, skim well when it boils, and let it gently simmer till the meat is quite tender. Slice and fry 3 onions in a little butter and flour, and put them into the gravy; add 2 whole onions, each stuck with 3 cloves, 3 turnips quartered, 2 carrots sliced, a bay-leaf, 1 head of celery, a bunch of herbs, and seasoning to taste of cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Let these stew till perfectly tender; then take out the cheek, divide into pieces fit to help at table, skim and strain the gravy, and thicken 1-1/2 pint of it with butter and flour in the above proportions. Add the vinegar, ketchup, and port wine; put in the pieces of cheek; let the whole boil up, and serve quite hot. Send it to table in a ragout-dish. If the colour of the gravy should not be very good, add a tablespoonful of the browning, No. 108.
Time.—4 hours. Average cost, 3d. per lb.
Sufficient for 8 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 boned ox cheek
4 onions
1 tbsp butter mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp plain flour
6 cloves
3 turnips, quartered
2 carrots, sliced
1 bayleaf
1 head of celery
1 bunch of savoury herbs
salt, freshly-ground black pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste
30g butter
2 dessert spoons plain flour
2 tbsp chilli vinegar
2 tbsp mushroom ketchup
2 tbsp port wine
2 tbsp Harvey's sauce
Method:
The night before, clean the ox cheek then place in a bowl of salted water, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate over night. The following day, drain the meat and wipe clean then place in a pan with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, skim the surface well then reduce to a gentle simmer and continue cooking gently for about 90 minutes, or until the meat is very tender.
Slice three of the onions, melt the butter in a pan then add the onions and fry for about 6 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Scatter the flour over the top and mix to form a roux. Scrape the onions and roux into the pot with the beef and whisk in to thicken the gravy. Stick the cloves into the two remaining onions and add these to the pan along with the turnips, carrots, bayleaf, celery and herbs. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper then bring to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for about 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.
Remove the ox cheek and cut into serving-sized pieces. Skim the gravy and strain then take 1l and our into a pan. Add enough of the butter and flour paste to thicken then stir in the chilli vinegar, mushroom ketchup, port wine and Harvey's sauce. Add the pieces of ox cheek, bring to a boil then pour into a bowl and serve.
