Drunken Cheeky Beef

Serves: 4
Easy
Time: about 6½ hours
(mostly slow cooking time)

INGREDIENTS:

1 carrot, diced
1 brown onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 cup red wine
375ml Guinness beer
1 whole garlic bulb, halved horizontally 
3 bay leaves
8 sprigs of thyme
2 anchovy fillets, drained
150g pickled onions
1kg beef cheeks
1 litre chicken stock 
1 cup polenta
30g butter
½ cup finely grated parmesan

METHOD:

1. Combine the carrot, onion, celery, red wine, Guinness, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, anchovies and pickled onions in a slow cooker. Nestle the beef cheeks into the mixture, ensuring each piece is half submerged. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and  cook on low for a minimum of 6 hours (or up to 8).

2. Close to serving time, place the stock into a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Add the polenta in a steady stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. 

3. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often to ensure the polenta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the polenta is soft and no longer grainy, stir in the butter and parmesan. 

4. Serve the polenta in warmed bowls, topped with the slow cooked beef cheeks
   

Don’t have a slow cooker? No stress! Follow the method exactly the same but bake the beef in a covered casserole dish in a 140°C (120°C fan-forced) oven, for 5 hours.