serves 4. | Cooking Time 3 hrs 25 mins

INGREDIENTS

olive oil

2 red onions , peeled and roughly chopped

3 carrots , peeled and roughly chopped

3 sticks celery , trimmed and roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic , unpeeled

a few sprigs fresh rosemary

2 bay leaves

1 small handful dried porcini

1 stick cinnamon

1 kg quality shin of beef , bone removed, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon flour

2 x 400 g good-quality tinned plum tomatoes

⅔ bottle Chianti

“When a shin of beef is slow cooked, magic happens – this is simple, warming and delicious ”

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. In a heavy-bottomed ovenproof saucepan, heat a splash of olive oil and gently fry the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, herbs, porcini and cinnamon for 5 minutes until softened slightly. Meanwhile, toss the pieces of beef in a little seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Add the meat to the pan and stir everything together, then add the tomatoes, wine and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently bring to the boil, cover with a double-thickness piece of tinfoil and a lid and place in your preheated oven for 3 hours or until the beef is meltingly tender and can be broken up with a spoon. Taste and check the seasoning, remove the cinnamon stick and rosemary sprigs and serve.