Small plates. Appetizers. Starters. Noshes. Tiny bites. Tapas. Whatever you call it, I love the idea of grazing around a buffet table. Pick a little, talk a little, pick some more. The variety and options laid out before me when I see a party food table, or a tapas menu, make my head spin–in a good way. So many flavors, so little time!
On our recent and FABULOUS vacation to Sonoma and other surrounding wine country, I talked about this fantastic tapas bar in Healdsburg, CA called Bravas Bar de Tapas. The myriad of options of small bites to go with wine, cocktails, or just a beautiful afternoon, were nearly endless. We enjoyed our dinner there one night so darned much that we went back another evening for a late night nosh.
After another spectacular meal earlier that night, we wandered around town, people watching and soaking in the cooling weather and beautiful surroundings. When we decided we wanted just one more small bite before ending the evening, we knew exactly where to head for options galore.
As we sipped our glass of wine, we finally settled on one plate that had just enough for each of us to have a few final bites for the night. We had the most incredible braised pork cheek sliders. They melted in your mouth, and dripped with the succulent juices of the braising liquid. Truly heaven in just a few spare bites.
I swore right then and there that I was going to recreate this beautiful dish when we returned home. So on a recent trip to the grocery store, I was suddenly struck with the need to try my hand at this dish. And because I made that decision on a whim instead of planning ahead, I was unable to find pork cheeks on that particular day. I was, however, able to secure a package of gorgeous beef cheeks. I figured I’d turn the other cheek (buh-dum-bum) and try the same cut from a different animal.
The results were AH-MAZING. I will be making this dish for years (and years, and years) to come. I changed up the toppings just a bit to include herbed goat cheese, arugula, tomato jam, and of course the roasted red bell pepper. I cannot even explain to you the contrast of flavors and textures in these little beauties. The only way to get you to understand the fabulousness (yes, it’s a word) of this dish is to beg you to try it for yourself!
Once you make these, come back and tell me how in love you are with this recipe. You, too, will become a fan of little food with big flavors!
| Servings |
| 6 people |
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These are great for a weeknight meal, or for a crowd. Either way, you will want leftovers, as the tastes and textures only get more intense as the meat continues to soak in all of the fabulous flavors.
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- 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 6 beef cheeks trimmed of fat (and there may be a lot of it)
- 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 1/2 rib celery, finely chopped
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes, juices included
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 6 slider buns lightly toasted
- 6 slices roasted red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup baby arugula
- 1/4 cup herbed goat cheese, softened
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. With a paper towel, pat dry the beef cheeks. This will help them sear better and get that delicious brown crust on them.
- Salt & pepper the beef cheeks on both sides.
- In a large iron pot (I love my Martha Stewart 6 qt. dutch oven), heat the oil over medium high heat. Sear the beef cheeks until well-browned, about 5-7 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside to rest.
- In the same pot, saute the celery, onion, carrots and garlic until softened, about 10 minutes. Be sure to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom--there's flavor in there!
- Add the wine to the pot, and bring to a slow boil. Reduce by about half, which should take about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes, with juices. Stir to incorporate.
- Add the rested beef cheeks, and braise, covered, in a preheated 325 degree oven for 3 hours.
- Toast the slider buns, and serve the braised beef cheeks on them with various toppings.
Some notes on this particular dish:
- First, I used a dry Chianti for this recipe. You can use another dry red, but the Chianti is so well balanced for this particular dish because it's not too fruit-bomb heavy like a Zinfandel, and it's not bone dry like many Cabernet Sauvignons. You can certainly use any dry red you have on hand, but the great thing here is that the other half of the bottle was a perfect accompaniment to the sliders themselves!
- Second, I have been looking for a good recipe for tomato jam. Strangely enough, that's exactly what I got from the tomatoes and other ingredients once the braise was complete. I kept all of the goodies at the bottom of the pot and have used it as a spread on everything from these sliders, to morning toast, to tossed into an omelet. Next time I may just make a big ole batch of the tomato mixture and add some beef broth to give it the richness this batch got from the cheeks. Double score!
- Finally, you can use whatever toppings you like for these little sliders. The originals we had on vacation had a chimichurri sauce and roasted bell pepper. However, in this case I went with herbed goat cheese, tomato jam, roasted red bell pepper, and arugula. My husband swapped the pepper and arugula and added a drizzle of bbq sauce. Get creative!
Beef cheeks? Don’t think I’ve ever had those before, but these sliders looks really delicious!
They are inexpensive, and just begging to be braised. They are so tender they just fall apart when you bite into them. I’m hooked!
Oh my gosh that looks good! Sometimes all you need is a tiny bite of something to set you off on a quest!