Recipe: Casarecce

We're getting cheeky as a top chef shares how he makes beef cheeks into ‘Casarecce’. Andrew Duncan is Executive Chef with recently-opened and Italian-inspired restaurant 'Ash', in Tampa's Water Street district, and he's smuggled out this recipe from their menu to make with us.

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Casarecce with Braised Beef Cheeks and Roasted Tomatoes

Braised Beef Cheeks Ingredients

• 1 lb beef cheeks or short ribs
• salt, for seasoning
• 2 cups red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon recommended)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 10 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 qt beef stock (or chicken stock)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp whole black pepper
• 5 cloves

Roasted Tomatoes Ingredients

• 6 plum tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 10 garlic cloves, grated into paste
• 1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tsp thyme, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• ½ tsp ground black pepper

Other Ingredients

• dried casarecce pasta (or other pasta of choice)
• Ricotta salata or a dry, crumbly cheese (Parmesan or Pecorino)
• butter
• red wine vinegar
• shiso (or substitute mint or basil)

Directions

For Braised Beef Cheeks

1. Preheat large, oven-proof pan over medium-high heat and preheat oven to 325° F.
2. Season beef cheeks with salt and sear in pan on all sides until crust forms. Remove beef and set aside.
3. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to pan. Sweat until fragrant.
4. Deglaze pan with red wine, scraping fond from bottom.
5. Wrap bay leaves, cinnamon stick, black pepper, and cloves in cheesecloth to create bundle. Add to pan along with beef and beef stock.
6. Place pan in oven and cook 4–5 hours, until meat is tender.
7. Allow cooling. Then, remove beef to pull apart by hand. Discard spice bundle.
8. Blend vegetables and cooking liquid until smooth. Reserve beef and sauce for pasta.

For Roasted Tomatoes

1. Toss tomatoes with garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and black pepper. Season with salt.
2. Roast on sheet tray at 450° F for 10 minutes.

For Assembly

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. In pan, warm sauce, add butter and dash of red wine vinegar to emulsify. Toss with pasta, braised beef, and roasted tomatoes.
3. Serve with crumbled ricotta salata, shiso, salt, and pepper to taste.

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