Lorenzo’s beef stew with gremolata

LORENZO BIAGI was 15 years old when he taught us this Tuscan recipe. The beef can be swapped for lamb or venison. We like to serve the stew with celeriac mash and top it with zesty gremolata for colour and zing.

SERVES 6 Per serving: Calories, 459; carbohydrates, 19g; protein, 28g; fat, 24g; fibre, 5g

1 medium red onion, chopped 1.2kg stewing beef 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 7 medium sage leaves 10g rosemary needles, chopped 2 tsp salt 300ml red wine 2 tbsp tomato puree 2 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes Freshly ground black pepper 25g butter

FOR THE GREMOLATA:

Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped 1 tsp lemon rind, finely grated

FRY the onions over a medium heat in a dish until soft. Add the meat and cook over a high heat until the water has evaporated. Now make a little pile of the sage leaves, rosemary and salt and chop them together. This is called a battuto and it should make for a finely chopped mixture. Add this mixture to the pan, stir and pour in the wine. Let it bubble for a few minutes, then add the tomato puree and stir through. Next add the tomatoes and bring to the boil. Bash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat down to simmer, put a lid on ajar and let it cook for 2 hours, or until the sauce has reduced and the meat is very tender. To make the gremolata, mix the parsley, lemon rind and garlic together in a bowl. Serve the stew topped with gremolata in a large serving dish or individual shallow bowls. 1 small clove garlic, grated