Winter is the perfect time to discover some of the cheaper cuts of meat, but which produce delicious and impressive-looking meals.
Cuts like beef cheeks, shin and oxtail have fallen out of favour in the past few decades as consumers demand easy, quick cooking cuts.
But there are many benefits to be had by seeking out these cheaper cuts of meats. Slowly braised, they result in tender, melt in the mouth dishes full of flavour. They are also very economical and usually take very little actual prep time as the magic happens as they cook for several hours.
Tip: Make twice as much and freeze the leftovers or turn them into a delicious pie.
Lamb shank
The shank is the tibia of the lamb or the bone below the knee. These have steadily risen in price as chefs have proven the value of this once forgotten cut. Having said this, the price of lamb shanks is still comparatively cheap next to other cuts of lamb. By serving it in a ragu and not as individual shanks you can make the meat go a lot further.
Osso buco
Italian for 'bone with a hole' (osso bone, buco hole), a reference to the marrow hole at the center of the cross-cut veal shank. A very traditional dish from Milan, osso buco is now available in New Zealand. If you can't find it though, oxtail would work just fine.
Beef cheeks
From the cheek of the cow, it is a tough muscle because of all the work it does chewing. Probably a little harder to find at the supermarket, ask your butcher for this great cut of meat that many believe when cooked slowly has a flavour unsurpassed by any other beef cut. Some other cheap cuts to try: oxtail, skirt steak, ham hock, beef shin.
LAMB SHANK RAGU
Serves 4, gluten free
50g streaky bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 lamb shanks
1/2 cup red wine
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp treacle
salt and pepper
1 sprig of rosemary
In a heavy pan or Dutch oven heat the oil and gently fry the bacon, onion, garlic, carrot and celery for five minutes or until the onion is translucent. Remove from the pan and set aside, adding in the shanks to brown on all sides. Once the shanks are browned add the wine to deglaze the pan.
At this stage if using a Dutch oven put the cooked vegetables back in along with all the other ingredients. If you have been using a pan now transfer the cooked shanks, reduced wine and all the other ingredients into an oven proof dish. Cover and cook in a low oven (150C) for 2-3 hours.
When cooked the meat should literally fall off the bone. Shred the meat through the sauce and serve tossed through cooked pasta, topped with some grated parmesan.
MUSHROOM AND BARLEY OSSO BUCO
(pictured)
Serves 4
800g osso buco
1 leek, washed and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
200g mushrooms
3/4 cup barley
4 cups of good quality beef stock
Chopped spinach or kale
Sweat the leeks and garlic in a little oil or butter, when soft remove from the pan and set aside. Add a little more oil and brown the osso buco. You will probably want to do this in two batches as overcrowding the pan creates steam and stops the meat from browning. When the meat has all been seared, place in an ovenproof dish along with the cooked leeks, mushrooms, barley and beef stock, cover with a lid and cook in a low oven (150-160C) for 3-4 hours. You may want to check after a couple of hours and add more liquid if needed. Add the chopped spinach or kale 10 minutes before serving making this a complete one pot dish.
BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS
Serves 4, gluten free
1kg beef cheeks
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
fresh thyme
1/2 cup Marsala
1 1/2 cups red wine
2 cups good quality beef stock
In a heavy pan or Dutch oven heat a little oil and cook the vegetables for 5-10 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Remove them from the pan and set aside. Add a little more oil and sear the beef cheeks. You may want to do this in two batches.
When the last batch has been browned add the Marsala to deglaze the pan. When this has halved in volume add the rest of the browned beef and cooked vegetables along with the remaining ingredients into the pan. Cover with a lid and either cook in a low oven (150C) or on a very low simmer for 4 hours.
Remove meat from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm. Pass vegetables and cooking liquid through a sieve to get a thick glossy sauce. Serve beef cheeks on a creamy mash or polenta with the sauce over top.
- Vicki RavlichHoran is the editor of Nourish Magazine, Waikato's slice of fresh flavour. www.nourishmagazine.co.nz