Karma Bavaria – Chef Ricardo Pedroso
Rinderbacken is a Bavarian classic, using one of the most tender cuts of all and slow cooking them so the meat falls apart. Served with creamy mashed potato and flavourful heritage carrots. Pure comfort on a plate!
Ox Cheeks
Ingredients:
Method:
- Clean the ox cheek and remove excess fat and set this aside. Roughly chop the celery, carrot and onion. Put oil in a saucepan and let it get really hot. Sear the ox cheek on both sides and remove from the pot.
- Now put all the leftovers from the previously cleaned ox cheek in the pot and sear them until roasted, now add all the vegetables and roast them again. Add the tomato paste and roast it and then deglaze with red wine and let it reduce a bit. Now put the ox cheek back into the pot and fill up with the fresh meat broth or water until the ox cheek is covered. Let everything cook at a low temperature until the ox cheek is tender. (Tip: If you pierce the ox cheek with a fork and the ox cheek falls off easily, it is soft enough.)
- Take out the ox cheek, let it cool down, then wrap it in foil and store it in the fridge overnight, as this makes it easier to cut and doesn’t break it. Strain the broth through a sieve and refrigerate as well, as this will make it easier to remove the excess fat from the surface the next day.
- Remove the fat from the broth and reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper and, if necessary, thicken with cornstarch until the desired consistency is achieved.
Heritage Carrots
Ingredients:
Method:
- Peel the carrots and vacuum-seal if possible together with the orange juice, cinnamon, star anise, salt and pepper.
- If possible, soak the vacuumed carrots in boiling water (approx. 90°C) until they are al dente. If there is no possibility of vacuuming, mix the orange juice with cinnamon, star anise, salt and pepper in a saucepan and bring the brew to the boil, and let the carrots steep in it until they are al dente and then keep the liquid.
Homemade Potato Mash
Ingredients:
Method:
- Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water until tender and pass through a potato ricer.
- Warm up the butter and cream with the spices and wait until the butter has dissolved.
- Mix the cream and butter mixture with the pressed potatoes until you get a creamy consistency.
Finishing:
- Cut the ox cheek into 1cm thick slices and warm them up in the sauce.
- Halve the carrots and cut into thumb-thick pieces. Then briefly cook them again with some of
- the orange juice and butter until a glassy film forms around the carrots, now season them with
- salt and pepper.
Plating:
- Place the mashed potatoes in the centre of the plate and make a small hole in it.
- Place heritage carrots in the hole.
- Place the ox cheeks on top and cover them with enough sauce.
