Brasato Al Barolo

Instructions

1. Place the meat in a dish with the faggot of herbs and spice bag. Add the wine, then cover and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge, turning the meat after a few hours if it is not completely covered with the wine.
2. Preheat the oven to 150oC.
3. Remove the meat from the marinade and dry thoroughly using kitchen paper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, brown the meat in all sides, then remove from the pan.
4. Chop the carrots and onion into 3cm pieces. Add to the pan and fry for a few minutes, then add the garlic and fry for a further minute. Pour in all the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the vegetables into an oval casserole large enough to hold the meat comfortably and add half the butter.
5. Place the meat on the bed of vegetables, then pour over the marinade and bring slowly to a simmer. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 hours, until tender, keeping an eye on the meat and turning it from time to time - it should cook at a steady simmer, so reduce then oven temperature to 140oC.
6. Transfer the meat to a chopping board, cover with foil and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes while you make the sauce. Pass the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pressing the vegetables, faggot and spice bag to extract all the juices. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then slide the pan off the heat and whisk in the remaining butter.
7. Cut the meat into slices about 1cm thick, place in a serving dish,, and pour over the sauce. Serve with a plenty of grated Parmesan, and polenta or orzotto to soak up the juices.