Head Chef Carlos Montobbio ESQUINA
ESQUINA evokes a sense of being in the heart of Spain with its buzzing atmosphere and vibrant setting.
The restaurant, which specialises in contemporary cuisine showcasing Spanish and Catalan flavours, is spearheaded by Barcelona-born Head Chef Carlos Montobbio.
An alumni from the famed El Celler de Can Roca in Spain, Chef Carlos indulges in his appreciation for quality ingredients with produce-driven artful dishes, and expresses his culinary creativity through a mix of traditional and modern cooking techniques.
Grass-fed Australian beef cheek, butternut squash and baby arugula
From 1 to 30 November, ESQUINA presents signatures such as the Grass-fed Australian beef cheek, butternut squash and baby arugula; as part of the TABLExperience by Aussie Beef & Lamb. View the full menu and place your reservations at Chope.
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Chef Carlos demonstrates how you can recreate your own TABLExperience at home in this simple recipe video.
Grass-Fed Australian Beef Cheek, Butternut Squash, Baby Arugula
Serves 4
Ingredients
| Beef Cheeks | |
| 1.5 kg | Australian beef cheeks |
| 40g | Garlic, minced |
| 10g | Fine salt |
| 400g | Spanish onion, peeled and diced |
| 200g | Carrot, peeled and diced |
| 40g | Dried porcini mushrooms |
| 5g | Black peppercorn |
| 5g | Juniper berries |
| 1 sprig | Thyme fresh |
| Half sprig | Rosemary |
| 1 leaf | Bay leaf |
| 160g | Tomato puree |
| 40ml | Brandy |
| 300ml | Red wine |
| 800ml | Beef stock |
| 800ml | Water |
| Butternut Squash Purée | |
| 150g | Butter |
| 150g | Brown sugar |
| 6 pc | Cloves |
| 1 large piece | Butternut squash |
| 275 gm | Creme fraiche |
| To Serve |
| Unsalted butter |
| Baby arugula |
| Extra virgin olive oil |
| Shaved Manchego cheese |
Recipe Steps
Beef cheeks:
- Crack some black pepper over the beef cheeks before lightly coating them in flour. Pan-fry beef for 2 minutes on both sides and leave to rest.
- To cook the sauce, add garlic cloves and sauté before adding salt and onions. Then add carrots and cook for 5 minutes before adding porcini mushrooms, black peppercorn, juniper berries, herbs. Cook until soft before adding tomato puree.
- Stir in brandy and red wine, wait for the sauce to boil before adding beef stock.
- Pour the sauce over the beef cheeks, before roasting in the oven at 200°C for 3 hours, flipping the beef cheeks every 20 minutes.
Butternut puree:
- In a pan, melt some butter and brown sugar, then add cloves. Pour the mixture over butternut wedges, and roast in the oven at 200°C for 30 minutes.
- Once ready, add the roasted butternut and creme fraiche into a blender and blend to a puree.
To serve:
- Place the beef cheeks in a pan and add 100g of the sauce and 20g of butter. Glaze the beef cheeks to finish.
- On a plate, lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil over baby arugula and shave some Manchego cheese.
- Assemble your beef cheeks, butternut puree and baby arugula on a plate.
Recipe Tip
- Choose a red wine that is young and full-bodied like Shiraz or Merlot. It gives the sauce a more rich and round taste and brighter colour!
Enjoy the best of Australian beef and lamb at these TABLExperience participating restaurants.
Click on the restaurant logos to find out more.
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