Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 ox cheeks
• trimmed
• 1 onion
• diced
• 2 carrots
• diced
• 4 sticks celery
• diced
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 750ml bottle red wine
• 2 garlic bulbs
• halved
• 2 bay leaves
• small bunch fresh thyme
• 2 star anise
• 3–4 cloves
• 500ml/18fl oz dark chicken or veal stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch watercress
• 2 tbsp light olive oil
• plus more if needed
• 4 asparagus spears
• stalks roughly chopped
• tips still intact
• 10g/â…“oz butter
• 1 braised ox tongue
• diced
• splash Madeira
• mashed potato
• made very soft with lots of butter and double cream.
• micro watercress
• to garnish

Directions

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Brown the ox cheek on all sides
• remove and set aside.
• Throw in the vegetables with the garlic
• herbs and spices and fry for 10 minutes
• until golden-brown. Stir in the tomato purée and add the wine. Simmer until the volume of the liquid is reduced by half.
• Return the cheek to the pan
• add the stock
• bring to a simmer
• cover and braise for 2–3 hours or until the cheek is tender.
• Remove the cheek and keep warm. Strain the sauce into a clean pan and reduce to a glossy
• coating consistency. Season to taste.
• To make the watercress oil
• blanch the watercress for a couple of minutes and refresh under cold water. Remove the stalks and put into a blender with the olive oil and salt. Blitz well and pass through a sieve.
• To make the tongue and asparagus
• blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes and refresh under cold water. Heat the butter in a pan
• add the asparagus and braised tongue and sauté for 2–3 minutes. Add the Madeira to glaze.
• To serve
• divide the mashed potato between two shallow bowls and top with the cooked cheeks. Spoon over the sauce
• garnish with the tongue and asparagus
• drizzle with the watercress oil and garnish with the micro watercress.