Anna's Chipotle Braised Beef with Polenta Dumplings
Photography Yuki Sato.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
Marinade
3 dried smoked chipotle peppers, stems removed
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 whole chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
2 tablespoons adobe sauce, from the peppers
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons each ground cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano and brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
finely grated zest and juice 1 orange
To cook
1 1/2 kilograms beef cheeks, trimmed of sinew
sea salt and ground pepper
olive oil
1 cup beef stock
400-gram tin chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
Dumplings
1½ cups plain flour
1 cup instant polenta
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1½ cups plain yoghurt
1 cup grated cheddar
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160°C regular bake.
MARINADE: Put the dried chillies in a bowl and pour over ½ cup boiling water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes. Tip the water and chillies into a blender, add all the remaining ingredients and blitz until smooth.
TO COOK: Cut each cheek into 4 and season. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish and, in batches, sear the beef on all sides, adding more oil if needed. Transfer to a plate. Add the marinade to the pan and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the stock, tomatoes and bay leaves. Bring to the boil. Add the beef and resting juices and nestle in. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and cook in the oven for 4 hours, until the beef is super tender.
DUMPLINGS: Increase the oven to 180°C fan bake. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the yoghurt. Form into rough balls and place on top of the beef. Scatter over the cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the dumplings are golden and cooked through.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.