Cooking With WCCO: Stracchi With Beef Cheek Agrodolce
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's winter, and that means comfort foods.
Executive chef Irina Kolosov has loaded the menu at Parma 8200 in Bloomington with braised meats and hearty Italian comfort foods. You can make this sweet and sour Italian specialty at home. If you can't find beef cheeks, substitute any cut of beef.
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Stracchi with beef cheek agrodolce and parmigiano
4 beef cheeks
2 onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
½ bunch celery, chopped
2 Tbls tomato paste
4 rosemary sprigs
15 cloves garlic, chopped
Chicken stock to cover
Red Wine Marinade
1 cup red wine
4 Tbls dark brown sugar
3.5 ounces Saba
2 ounces Red wine vinegar
Marinate beef cheeks in red wine overnight. Remove cheeks, season with salt/pepper and sear both sides until they're dark. Reserve one cup of the red wine marinade and throw the rest. After they're all seared, use the same rondo and sauté the veggies until soft. Add garlic and cook for another three minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until golden brown (very important). Season the veggies with salt and add them to the roasting pan. Add the whole rosemary sprigs and cover with chicken stock and the one cup of red wine. Cover and braise in the still oven at 400 degrees for four hours or until melt in your mouth tender.
Remove the cheeks and strain the liquid. Toss the veggies. Whisk in brown sugar, red wine vin and Saba. Check for seasoning. Shred the beef into bite size pieces.
To serve:
Cook your pasta in a pot of boiling salted water for about 3-4 minutes, if the pasta is fresh. Heat 4oz of sauce with 5oz of beef cheek shredded into chunks in a saute pan and add 1 tablespoon of butter. When slightly reduced, add your pasta and continue cooking so the pasta absorbs some of the sauce. Season to taste. Finish with tossing in fresh parmesan.
