Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

Kobe Cheeks:
• 6 Kobe cheeks
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Spanish onion
• 3 carrots
• ½ celery stalk
• 4-6 bay leaves
• 2 quarts veal jus
  
  Cracked Wheat Risotto:
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt
• 1 bag medium fregola (Sardinian couscous)
  
  Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms:
• 12 baby carrots
• 1 cup Morels or Chanterelles mushrooms
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper

Method:
For Kobe Cheeks:
Season each side of Kobe cheeks with salt and pepper. Sear cheeks until brown. Roughly chop onion, carrots, celery and bay leaves and sauté in the Kobe juices until tender. Pour Veal Jus over the top of vegetables and bring to a simmer. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place seared cheeks into the pot and place in the oven to braise for approximately 4 hours, or until extremely tender. Let cool in the broth for approximately 30-45 minutes. Remove cheeks and wrap until needed. Strain the braising liquid, and put onto a burner and reduce by half.

For Risotto:
Combine stock, water, onion, carrot, bay leaves, and salt in a pot and bring to a simmer. Add Fregola and simmer until just tender. Pour off liquid and cool on sheet tray. Remove all vegetables and herbs from risotto.

For Vegetables:
Preheat oven to 375-400°F. Peel carrots, clean mushrooms, and place each in a separate bowl. Add enough oil to coat, and season with salt, pepper, and thyme sprigs. Place vegetables onto separate sheet trays and spread out evenly. Bake at until just tender with a little color. Set aside.

To Assemble and Serve:
Place reduced braising liquid and kobe cheeks into a pot and bring to a simmer. Hold on low heat to keep warm. Warm risotto in a pan with a little oil, stirring constantly. Start a second pan with a little braising liquid to warm up the vegetables. Make sure to keep stirring risotto. When all is hot, plate with risotto into the center, then kobe cheeks and vegetables on top.

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