Pintxo de Carrillera de Ternera

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy casserole or Dutch oven, 24 to 28cm
• •Tongs
• •Fine sieve, food mill, or blender
• •Small skewers or palillos

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the cheeks

   Pat the beef cheeks dry and cut each one into two or three large pieces if needed. Season with the 10g salt and a little black pepper. Let them stand while you chop the vegetables; even this short rest helps the salt start its work.

2. 2

   Brown the meat

   Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the beef cheeks in batches until they take a deep chestnut crust on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes total per batch. Do not crowd the pot or the meat stews pale instead of browning. Lift the pieces to a plate.

3. 3

   Cook the sofrito

   Lower the heat to medium-low and add the onion, carrot, leek, and garlic to the same pot. Cook for 18 to 22 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom, until the vegetables are soft, dark gold, and almost jammy. This slow sofrito is the floor of the braise; rush it and the sauce tastes thin.

   If the bottom catches before the vegetables soften, add 1 tablespoon of water and keep going. Water saves the sofrito; high heat ruins it.
4. 4

   Build the braise

   Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes until it darkens. Add the pimentón and stir for 10 seconds only, just until fragrant. Pour in the red wine, bring it to a lively simmer, and let it reduce by about one third, 8 to 10 minutes, so the raw edge of the wine cooks off.

5. 5

   Braise until tender

   Return the beef cheeks and their juices to the pot. Add the stock or water, bay leaf, and thyme. The liquid should come about two thirds up the meat, not drown it. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook at the barest simmer for 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours, turning the meat once or twice, until a spoon presses through it with no fight.

6. 6

   Finish the sauce

   Lift out the beef cheeks and discard the bay leaf and thyme stem. Pass the sauce through a food mill or blend it smooth, then simmer it uncovered until it coats the back of a spoon, about 10 to 15 minutes. Shred the meat into large, soft pieces and fold it back through enough sauce to make it glossy, not soupy.

7. 7

   Toast the bread

   Brush the bread slices lightly with olive oil and toast them until crisp at the edges but still able to catch sauce, 3 to 5 minutes under a grill or in a hot pan. Bread that is too soft collapses. Bread toasted rock-hard fights the meat. Aim for the middle.

8. 8

   Assemble the pintxos

   Spoon warm carrillera onto each toast, letting a little sauce sink into the bread. Top with a small pickled guindilla if you like that sharp northern bite, then pin each one with a palillo. Serve warm, with napkins nearby. This is not a tidy pintxo, and it shouldn't be.

Chef Tips

• •Buy real beef cheeks if you can. They look tough and unpromising, then turn silky because they are full of collagen. Pésalo, no lo adivines: a kilo of trimmed cheek gives you enough for 12 generous pintxos.
• •Use a dry red wine you would drink at the table, ideally Rioja or Navarra. Not expensive, just honest. Sweet cooking wine will make the sauce clumsy.
• •If beef cheek is impossible to find, use boneless short rib in the same weight and cook until spoon-tender. It will be fattier, so chill the braise and lift off the set fat before reheating.
• •The guindilla is optional, but good. Its vinegar cuts the richness of the cheek. If you skip it, don't replace it with a random herb sprinkle; the sauce already did the work.

Advance Preparation

• •Braise the beef cheeks up to 2 days ahead. Chill the meat in its sauce, then lift off any set fat before reheating gently.
• •Toast the bread shortly before serving. The meat can wait; the toast cannot.
• •For a dinner party, keep the carrillera warm in a small casserole and assemble the pintxos in batches so the bread stays crisp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 125g)