• 4 beef cheeks (about 180 g/6⅓ oz. each)
• 1 onion
• 1 green bullhorn pepper (or ½ green capsicum/pepper)
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 tomatoes
• 100 ml (3½ fl oz) olive oil
• 50 g (1¾ oz) cumin seeds
• 200 g (7 oz) tomato paste (to make your own)
• 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) beef stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) dry red wine
• 200 g (7 oz) green olives, pitted

Eggplant Purée

• 4 globe eggplants (aubergines)
• juice of 2 lemons
• 120 g (4¼ oz) butter
• 300 ml (10½ fl oz) pouring (whipping) cream
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 200 g (7 oz) grated kaşar (or provolone)
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Place the beef cheeks on a board and trim off any sinew or fat. Finely slice the onion. Remove the stalk and seeds from the bullhorn pepper and roughly chop. Roughly chop the garlic and tomatoes.

Heat the olive oil in a large flame-proof casserole dish over medium heat. Add the onion and cumin seeds and brown for 4 minutes. Add the chopped pepper and garlic, and fry for 2 minutes. Add the fresh tomato and tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the beef stock, salt, pepper and red wine. Add the beef cheeks, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 5 hours.

While the beef cheeks are stewing, pierce the eggplants with a fork and char the skins by placing the eggplants directly onto the flame of your cook top. Using tongs, move the eggplant around to evenly blacken and then remove from the flame.

Once the eggplants are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Discard the skin. Add 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) of water and the lemon juice. Leave to soak for 2 minutes, then remove the eggplant, pat dry with paper towel and place in a colander to drain for about 10 minutes. Finely chop.

Melt 100 g (3½ oz) of the butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add the eggplant pieces and whisk together to make a mash. Add the cream, freshly grated nutmeg and grated kaşar. Add the white pepper and salt. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Divide the eggplant purée among four plates.

Add the olives to the casserole dish and continue to stew for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Put 250 ml (4 fl oz/1 cup) of the beef-cheek cooking liquid in a saucepan with the remaining butter and boil over medium heat for 5 minutes to reduce.

Place one beef cheek on each plate. Drizzle a little of the reduced sauce over each cheek, and serve.