
With plenty of long winter nights ahead of us, treat yourself, your significant other, or your houseguests to a delectable dish from Conrad Nashville’s restaurant, Blue Aster.
Chef Andrew Rodriguez shares his recipe for a satisfying meal you can make from the comfort of home that will leave you feeling warm and cozy all season long.
"Our Braised Bear Creek Beef Cheeks with Winter Squash is the perfect wintertime comfort meal. It mimics everything you love about a hearty home cooked meal with a sophisticated twist. The flavors balance each other out well without having one dominate over the others. It's a meal that I come back to over and over again, and I know you will, too," says Chef Andrew Rodriguez, Blue Aster in Conrad Nashville.
Braised Bear Creek Beef Cheeks with Winter Squash
Courtesy of Chef Andrew Rodriguez
Ingredients:
- 3 Bear Creek Beef Cheeks
- 1 Dried Arbol Chilis
- 1 Dried Aji Amarillo
- 3 Cloves of garlic
- 1 Carrot, rough chopped
- 1 Onion, small, rough chopped
- 1⁄2 Stalk of celery
- 1⁄2 Cup red wine
- 1 Tbsp of Achiote
- 2 Cups of beef stock
- Dried thyme
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Delicata squash or other winter squash
- 2 Shallots peeled and cut into quarters
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Remove membrane from beef cheeks and set aside.
- Heat a medium Dutch oven with neutral oil and sear off cheeks. Once golden brown, remove and add garlic, celery, onion, carrot, and achiote paste. Cook until translucent.
- Add red wine and beef cheeks to the pot and cook the wine down. Add beef stock to cover and place in a 300-degree oven for 2.5 to 3 hours.
- While the cheeks are in the oven, cut delicata squash in half and remove seeds. Cut into half rings and set aside. Chop shallots into quarters and set aside.
- Once the cheeks are fork-tender and give little resistance, remove from the oven.
- Remove cheeks from liquid and strain liquid into a smaller sauce pot. Reduce this by half until the sauce thickens.
- In a sauté pan, cook squash and shallots until golden brown and soft.
- Add cheeks back into reducing liquid with 2 knobs of butter.
- In a bowl, plate cheeks with just enough liquid to coat, top with squash and shallots, torn mint, and serve with either flat bread or rice.