Winter Warmer

Yes indeed it’s that time of year already, when the food on your table needs to be just that little bit more warming and comforting.

What better way to welcome in the colder months then by re-creating this lovely melt in your mouth beef shin stew.

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 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 Cabernet Sauvignon

Directions

Preheat your oven to 180ºC. In a heavy-bottomed ovenproof saucepan, heat a splash of olive oil and gently fry the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, herbs 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.