Serves: 6

For the Braised Blade of Beef
Grape seed or groundnut oil
1.5-2 Kg Boneless Beef Blade (ask the butcher to truss or net the cut for cooking)
1 Large onion- peeled and thinly sliced
10g Star Anise
1 Leek (white and light green only)- divided lengthwise, washed, and thinly sliced
2 Carrots- peeled and thinly sliced
2 Garlic cloves, sliced
250ml Red wine
5l brown beef stock
2 Sprigs rosemary
5 Sprigs thyme
2 Bay leaves
10g Peppercorns
10 Stems fresh parsley
Salt

Pre-heat an oven to 80C. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat just until it begins to smoke and add enough oil to liberally cover the bottom of the pan. Season the beef lightly with salt and sear on all sides, remove from the pan, and reserve to the side. Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and star anise. Sauté the onion with the star anise for 10 minutes, stirring frequently then add the leek, carrot, and garlic. Lightly brown the mixture for an additional 10 minutes and deglaze with the red wine. Simmer the wine until it has reduced by half and transfer the mixture to a metal pan for braising. Place the beef in with the vegetable mixture and cover with the beef stock (note: make sure that the beef is completely submerged in the stock, if not use a braising vessel that is not as wide). Add the rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns and cover the top of the pan first with cling film and then with foil. Place in the oven for 10 hours.

After 10 hours remove the pan from the oven a carefully remove the cover. Add the parsley and infuse for 20 minutes at room temperature as the liquid begins to cool. Carefully remove the beef and reserve to the side in a storage container. Strain the liquid through a mesh strainer and pour the liquid over the beef, discard the vegetables and aromatics. Cover the container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours before using.

For the Savoury Parsley Porridge

550g unsalted butter
85g garlic, minced
l0g lemon juice
50g Dijon mustard
40g Ground almonds
15g table salt
240g curly leaf parsley
120g chicken bouillon
60g porridge oats, sieved to remove any powder
salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt 50g of the unsalted butter in a pan, add the garlic and sauté until pale gold
and fragrant. Add the lemon juice to the pan, then transfer the mixture to a mixer with the paddle attachment along with the mustard, ground almonds, salt and the remaining 500g unsalted butter. Chop the parsley and sprinkle on top of the butter mixture and run the paddle on medium speed for 5 minutes. Remove the butter from the mixer and roll tightly in cling film. Refrigerate or freeze until needed.

At the time of service heat the chicken bouillon in a sauce pan and add the oats.
Simmer until the oats have absorbed the liquid and are cooked but still retain texture (this should not take more than 2 minutes, overcooking the oats will make them starchy). Add in 120g of the reserved parsley butter from above and stir to incorporate this into the oats. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the Roasted Garlic

3 heads Garlic
olive oil
salt

Preheat the oven to 150C. At the top of each head of garlic slice across exposing just the top of each clove, leaving the root intact on the other side to keep the cloves together. Rub the exposed surface with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt. Wrap each head individually with foil and place in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove and allow the garlic to cool completely. Squeeze each roasted clove out of it’s skin and keep intact. At the time for the service re-warm the cloves either in a sauté pan or in the oven.

For the Dish

Pre-heat an oven to 80C. Remove any solidified fat from the top of the chilled braising liquid. Transfer the liquid and the meat back to the braising pan. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 1 hour to return to temperature. Remove the cover and gently remove the beef, covering in foil and reserving in a warm place. Strain the liquid into a pot, bring to a simmer and begin to reduce. Continue reducing the braising liquid in the pot to a sauce consistency, seasoning at the end with salt. Remove the trussing from the beef and slice, across the grain with a sharp knife, into 6 pieces (the grain of the meat should be running in the shorter direction of each medallion of beef to optimize the tenderness). Divide the beef amongst 6 warm plates. Check the sauce for seasoning and spoon over the beef. Garnish the beef with the roasted garlic and divide the porridge between the plates.