Open Ox Cheek Lasagne

Ox Cheek Lasagne  Portions: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 400g Ox cheek, 
•  6carrots
•  1/2 leek
• 2 onions
•  3 stalks of celery
•  4 cloves of garlic
•  1/4 bunch of thyme
•  2 bay leaves
• 700ml beef stock
• 200ml red wine
• 200ml double cream
• 1/4 a bag of Petis pois
• 2 spring onion

Pasta Dough

100g 'oo' flour 

1 medium size egg

Pasta is easier to make then you think so if you can, try and make it. But if your too busy you can buy pasta sheets. The pasta dough ratio is 1 medium egg to 100g of 00 flour (00 flour is a lot finer than plain). Mix ingredients in a bowl together and work this until you have a nice elastic dough.For the best results, leave the pasta in the fridge up to an hour to rest. Once rested, run through the pasta machine and go until just over 1mm thick. Cut into square pieces ready for blanching in boiling water which will take about a minute to cook

Ox Cheek Mix

The Ox cheek is going to be braised down, if you cant get your hands on ox cheek, cut of beef that benifits from braising or even neck of lamb will be just as good.

Seal the meat in a pan making sure all sides are coloured evenly, then add your miro poux (carrots, celery, leeks and onion) along with garlic, thyme and bay leaf. De-glaze with a splash of red wine and then cover with your beef stock (if you have your own even better but stock cube will do) bring to the boil and cover and place in the oven for at least an hour and a half depending on the size. Check as cooking.
Once cooked it should be soft to touch, remove from the liquid which you will need to pass and put back onto the stove to reduce to a slightly thick consistency (jus). Shread your ox cheek, mix with the reduced jus and add some petit pois.


Carrot Puree
For the carrot puree, sweat down onions with garlic and season with salt and pepper. When soft, add peeled chopped carrots, add a drop of water and cook until the water has evaporated and the carrots are cooked, add cream and blitz and pass.

To plate up, place some puree on the bottom of the plate, and a layer of the ox cheek mix, sheet of pasta on top  and continue till 3-4 layers up. For an extra crunch and freshness top with some thinly sliced spring onions. Add some of the extra jus to finish and enjoy!