Red Wine Beef Shin Potjie with Gremolata

Method

1. Pat the meat very dry with kitchen paper, season with half the salt and the pepper and dust both sides lightly with flour, shaking off the excess. Dice the onion and celery 5 mm and slice the garlic. Halve any potatoes bigger than an egg, cut the carrots into 3 cm chunks and the squash into 4 cm cubes, and halve the mushrooms.

   Add in this stepBeef shin, cross-cut on the bone 2.5 to 3 cm thick (osso buco cut) 600 gSalt ½ tspBlack pepper to tastePlain flour (for dusting) 1½ tbsp

2. Heat the oil in a 24 cm cast-iron pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat a few pieces at a time without overlapping until deep brown on both sides, 12 min in total. Crowded meat steams instead of browning, so always work in batches. Set the browned meat aside on a plate.

   Add in this stepCooking oil 2 tbsp

   medium-high heat

3. Turn down to medium heat, add the onion, celery and garlic and cook for 6 min, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom, until soft. Stir in the tomato paste and allspice and cook 1 minute more until the paste darkens to brick red.

   Add in this stepOnion 1Celery sticks 1Garlic (cloves) 3Tomato paste 1 tbspGround allspice ¼ tsp

   medium heat

4. Pour in the wine, turn up to medium-high heat and boil for 4 min, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, until it has reduced by about half and no longer smells sharply of alcohol.

   Add in this stepDry red wine 175 ml

   medium-high heat

5. Return the meat with the juices from the plate and add the stock, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. The liquid should come about two thirds of the way up the meat. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 h 35 min at the gentlest bubble, until the meat starts to come away from the bone.

   Add in this stepBeef stock 350 mlThyme sprigs 3Rosemary sprigs 1Bay leaves 1

   low heat

6. Without stirring, layer the potatoes and carrots over the meat, then the squash, and finally the mushrooms and green beans on top. Sprinkle with the remaining salt, cover and cook over low heat for 45 min. It is done when a knife slides easily into the potatoes and the meat falls apart with a fork.

   Add in this stepBaby potatoes (or small potatoes) 300 gCarrots 1½Butternut squash (or kabocha squash) 200 gButton mushrooms 120 gGreen beans 100 gSalt ½ tsp

   low heat

7. Chop the parsley, lemon zest and garlic together very finely to make the gremolata. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt. Push the ladle right to the bottom so each serving gets meat, marrow and every layer, and scatter with gremolata.

   Add in this stepFlat-leaf parsley (chopped) 2 tbspLemon (for the zest) ½Garlic (for the gremolata, cloves) ½