Serves 4
2 tbsp 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 rosemary
2 bay leaves
small handful of dried porcini
1 cinnamon stick
2 lbs 4 oz shin of beef, boned and trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp seasoned flour
2 x 400 g tins plum tomatoes
2/3 bottle of Chianti
Preheat the oven to 350F. Heat the olive oil in a heavy oven proof pan with a lid. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, porcini and cinnamon stick and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened slightly.
Meanwhile toss the shin in the seasoned flour and shake off the excess. Add the meat to the pan and stir everything together. Add the tomatoes and the wine along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently bring to the boil and cover with a double thickness of aluminium foil and the lid and place in the preheated oven for 3 hours until the beef is meltingly tender. Taste and check for seasoning, remove the cinnamon stick and rosemary and serve.
