Mary Berry’s Horseradish Beef Cheeks
Perfect for a chilly day, Mary Berry's horseradish beef cheek stew is slow-cooked until meltingly soft and finished with a swirl of horseradish and cream. As seen on Mary's BBC 2 series, Mary 90.
Introduction
Beef cheeks are delicious cooked slowly, and have become more popular recently as they are available in good supermarkets and butchers. This recipe is a classic stew with added horseradish and it has been in my family for years. Horseradish gives a surprisingly mild flavour and creamy sauce. Some cheeks are fatter than others, so the cooking time may vary slightly.
Find all of the recipes from Mary 90 on BBC 2 in our recipe round-up, updated weekly.
Ingredients
| 3 tbsp | sunflower oil |
| 100g (3½oz) | smoked streaky bacon, chopped into small pieces |
| 3 | beef cheeks, each one halved (about 1kg/2lb 4oz combined weight) |
| 2 | large onions, diced |
| 4 sticks of | celery, diced |
| 2 large | garlic cloves, finely grated |
| 30g (1oz) | plain flour |
| 1 tsp | medium curry powder |
| 100ml (3½fl oz) | Port |
| 1 × 400g can | chopped tomatoes |
| 300ml (½ pint) | beef stock |
| 4 tbsp | hot horseradish sauce, from a jar |
| 100ml (3½fl oz) | pouring double cream |
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C Fan/Gas 3.
Measure the oil into a large, deep ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole with a lid over a high heat. Add the bacon and fry until golden brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the beef and fry until golden brown and sealed. Remove from the pan and set aside with the bacon.
Place the onions and celery in the pan and fry over a high heat for about 5–8 minutes until the vegetables are starting to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
Sprinkle in the flour and curry powder, and mix well.
Pour in the port and boil for a few seconds, then add the tomatoes and stock. Return the beef and bacon to the pan, and stir well. Bring up to the boil, season with salt and ground black pepper, cover with a lid and transfer to the preheated oven for about 4–4½ hours, or until tender.
Check the seasoning and stir in the horseradish sauce and cream just before serving with mash and green veg.
Mary’s Tips: Can be made up to a day ahead. Reheat and add the horseradish and cream after reheating. Freezes well without the horseradish and cream.
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