1. Lightly dust the beef cheek with tapioca, and a little salt and pepper. Shake off excess.
2. Heat a fry pan with olive oil, and brown the cheeks on each side to get those flavours going! Remove and add to your slow cooking pot or pressure cooker.
3. In the same pan, fry the bacon until browned. Add to the pot. Then add the onion and garlic to the fry pan and lightly soften. Add more olive oil if necessary. Be careful not to burn the sticky bits on the pan.
4. Add the onion to the pot then deglaze the pan with a little of the red wine. Add that to the pot, the rest of the red wine, the beef bone broth, the boiling water and star anise.
5. Make sure the beef cheeks are covered in liquid, topping up with extra stock if needed.
6. Cook in the pressure cooker for 1 hour. Or in a slow cooker or oven for 4-6 hours (or until tender).
7. Once the cheeks are tender, pull apart with a fork.
8. To thicken the casserole, pour it into a large frypan and simmer on the stove to to reduce the sauce for 20-30 mins. Stir frequently to stop from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
9. Scatter parsley leafs over the casserole and serve with crusty sourdough.
For this dish we used the hero of grandma's kitchen, a pressure cooker! But you can also use a slow cooker, or cook in the oven at a low temp.
