Slow-cooked beef cheeks with a hint of orange

A citrus variation of a classic winter dish, made by chef Matteo Giudici, that we pair with a Salina Rosso 2018 Colosi.

Ingredients for 4 people:

4 beef cheeks 250g each, 100g butter, 20g extra-virgin olive oil, the peel of 1 orange, 2 zucchini, 2 carrots, 1 medium-size potato, 2 celery sticks, 1 onion, 20g 00 flour, 1 garlic clove, 10g baking chocolate powder, salt and pepper as desired, vegetable broth as needed, 1 bottle red wine and a small bunch of aromatic herbs.

Directions:

Using a pan large enough to hold the four cheeks, melt the butter in the EVOO and brown the orange peel to fully release its aroma.

In the meantime, mix together the flour and chocolate powder and use this to bread the cheeks. Put the cheeks in the pan and braze them well on all sides.

Pour in the bottle of wine and bring it to a boil. Once the alcohol has fully evaporated, add enough broth to completely cover the meat.

At this point, add in the vegetables that have been cut into cubes: the celery, 1 carrot, 1 zucchini, the onion, potato and a garlic clove and then add the bunch of aromatic herbs. Lower the heat, cover and slow-cook for around two hours.

After two hours, remove the cheeks and filter the sauce to eliminate the vegetables and herbs.

Put the beef cheeks back into the same pan together with the filtered juice and continue to cook uncovered at a low heat for another 50 minutes. Add the second zucchini and carrot that have also been cut into cubes and cook for a further ten minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.

This dish is perfect served with mashed potatoes.

Wine to pair:

(edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)

Salina Rosso 2018 Colosi

Intense ruby red color. Intense aromas of red fruits, hints of plums, coffee, bitter cocoa and roasting puffs. Light fragrance of mediterranean scrub. Fresh sip, average body, smooth and velvety tannins. Good persistence in the finish.

Production area: Capo Faro on the island of Salina, Malfa and Porri areas (Aeolian Islands), volcanic soil.

Grape varieties: Nerello Cappuccio 50% and Nerello Mascalese 50%, Guyot trained.

Harvest: between the second and third decade of September.

Vinification: in stainless steel. Aging process in large casks for 6 months and then in stainless steel vats for 6 months more at controlled temperature. 3 months in bottle before release.

Alcohol content: 14% Vol.

Serving temperature: 16-18° C

Recommended food pairings: meat and cheese dishes with a strong taste.

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