Liquorice Braised Beef Cheeks w/ Roasted Cauliflower Puree
Serves: 4

For the beef cheeks – season them with salt and pepper and brown in vegetable oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium, then – using the same pan – sauté the celery, garlic and onion until translucent. Add the beef cheeks, deglaze with a splash of red wine and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add the remaining wine, water, star anise, liquorice root, fennel seeds and carrots, then bring to the boil. Turn the heat down very low, cover with a lid and simmer for 4 hours.

For the roast cauliflower purée – preheat an oven to 180°C and place the cauliflower into a roasting dish. Toss with a splash of oil, season with salt and pepper and bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile – bring a saucepan to a medium heat and sauté the onion in vegetable oil. Add the roasted cauliflower and cream to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Purée the mixture using a stick blender, slowly adding cubes of butter until the texture is smooth. Season to taste.

To serve – spoon some cauliflower purée onto a plate and top with beef cheeks. Add the carrots from the saucepan and finish with a splash of braising liquid.