Chef Matt Basile’s Beef Cheek Bulgogi Ravioli

Chef Matt Basile’s recipe combines rich, meaty beef cheeks and the exotic flavours of bulgogi to create an impressive and easy to make, appetizer – Chef Matt Basile’s Beef Cheek Bulgogi Ravioli!

I love it when the recipes we get for Chefs #LoveCDNbeef use an atypical cut of beef.  Beef cheeks have appeared in a couple of recipes so far, and like this one are popping up on restaurant menus. In fact, this dish is available on the menu at Lisa Marie, Matt’s restaurant, in Toronto.  But they are still relatively unknown to home cooks, and given the value and the flavour of this cut I’m happy to help show home cooks how to start using them.

Beef cheeks are rich and meaty, and this recipe creates a simple and tasty appetiser.  Ironically, for such an easy recipe, it is the dish that turned out the most unlike the Chef’s version.  I blame it on the fact that Matt was finalizing the dish for the restaurant when he shared it with me for Chefs #LoveCDNbeef, so I didn’t get to see his final plating until after I had made mine.

Notice my ravioli on the left look like turnovers or dumplings.  Matt’s on the other hand look like nice ravioli.  This might be because I have eaten a lot more dumplings in my life than ravioli or because I’m stingy with the wonton wrappers. Whatever the reason, the dish works well no matter which way you stuff your ravioli. (No, that is not a euphemism.) This dish was such a hit with the friend’s we were visiting when we made it that I barely had any left to photograph when I was done cooking them.  I had to actually chase people out of the kitchen so we could have a single serving to show you the final dish

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A couple of quick notes before you get the recipe:

• shopping note: Beef cheeks  are a great cut to cook with – inexpensive, flavourful and very, very tender if braised.  The problem is that they are a little hard to find at times.  I spoke to a lot of butchers before buying them this time.  Most had a couple of beef cheeks in the freezer and they all said they could order some in for me.  Of course I wanted fresh and now, which is why I kept asking. I finally got them from Sanagan’s who have been a reliable source here in Toronto most times I have needed beef cheeks.
• measurements: Matt has included measurements, but most of this recipe is made to your tastes. Like more garlic? Add more garlic? Hate ginger… well, then don’t make this recipe. Bulgogi needs some ginger, but you can control how much.
• soya sauce: Don’t worry about the volume of soya sauce, it seems like a lot but it’s right and not a typo.  (BTW 500ml is approximately 2 cups so it’s the same amount of soy sauce as ginger beer and water.)
• ginger beer: Ginger beer is similar to ginger ale but with a much stronger ginger bite to it.  Ginger beer is available across the country in places that have interesting soda pop, but I find the President’s Choice Jamaican-Style Ginger Beer (available in 2L bottles) is excellent. If you can’t find ginger beer, you can use ginger ale.
• assembly: you’ll note from the photos that I did a dumpling fold and Matt did a proper ravioli.  I didn’t even think of doing it that way.  Both work, but you get a more substantial bite if you do it Matt’s way and it takes less time to make a full batch because the ravioli are larger.
• braising:  Matt mentions covering the braising container with “saran or foil.” From personal experience using generic household plastic wrap, even if you put it under foil, is not a good idea because it disintegrates. (Not to mention all the cooking-with-plastic issues.) I hear that the Saran Wrap brand can be used and you can see it used on cooking shows like Top Chef for braises all the time, but the official word from Saran Wrap is their product can’t be used in the oven. More importantly, it turned into a hot mess when I tried it, so I’d recommend sticking with tight fitting lids or foil.
• post-braise: when Matt & I were comparing notes, I told him how the well the meat jelled as it cooled overnight. Then before stuffing the ravioli, we spent time shredding it all over again.  You don’t really have to. You can cut it into little chunks and use those to stuff the ravioli. It will work just as well, and in fact, likely make a cleaner ravioli.

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Dipping Sauces

Again, Matt and I diverged as he finalized the restaurant version with the sauce above and I made something up at home as you see below.

Big thanks to Matt sharing this recipe!

Learn More About Chef Matt Basile

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