I can’t rave about this recipe enough! If you are after a hearty winters meal that is super easy, then this is the dish. Place your ingredients in the slow cooker, leave it to cook while you’re at work and then you will return home to the most delicious smell. When you are ready to eat, cook pasta and serve. Simple as that.

The sauce freezes well too, so you can make up a quick and easy meal in the future.

This is a recipe from Chelsea Winter.

 Ingredients:

• 800g Quality Mark beef shin, bone in (or use stewing steak or gravy beef)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, chopped (or use 2 teaspoons dried)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 anchovy fillets, chopped
• 1 cup red wine (or use extra stock)
• 2 cups reduced salt beef stock (I prefer the fresh stock in plastic pouches)
• 1 bay leaf

To serve

• Cooked pappardelle (or just cut fresh lasagne sheets into 3cm strips)
• Fresh Parmesan, grated
• Chopped parsley

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 150c.
• Season the beef with a little salt and pepper. Heat a dash of oil in a large frying pan over a very high heat and sear the beef to brown all over (you may need to do this in two batches). Set the beef aside. Reduce the heat to medium, add the butter and another dash of oil to the pan and cook the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and oregano for about 7-10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

• Add the tomato paste and anchovies and cook for another few minutes. Add the wine, turn up the heat and let it bubble for 30 seconds. Add the stock and the bay leaf. If your pan is ovenproof, add the beef and its juices back to the pan and cover with the lid or, transfer everything to a covered casserole dish.

• Cook in a slow cooker on low for 5 – 8 hours. Or bake in the oven for 3 hours, stirring a couple of times to ensure the beef stays mostly covered with liquid.

 To serve:

• Remove the meat with tongs and place on a clean board. Remove and discard the bones/skin and pull the beef into chunks with two forks. If necessary, at this point you can simmer the sauce in a saucepan on the stovetop to reduce and thicken it.
• Add the meat back into the sauce, taste and season as required. Spoon the meat sauce onto the hot pasta and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve with a side of green salad or beans.