Beef flavoured with cloves in tomato sauce

Very rich in taste this dish. An excellent idea for the Winter months to enjoy it along with good company and red wine! It is a recipe that needs time so better to cook it on a Sunday and the result will reward you for your effort

Ingredients (for 4 people):
1Kg of beef (shoulder) (keep the piece whole)
500gr. of fresh ripe tomatoes, finely chopped (or 500gr. of tinned tomatoes, finely chopped)
3 cloves of garlic, whole and peeled
4 tbsp of olive oil
1Kg of onions, finely chopped
3 carrots, grated
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 glass of red dry wine
5 whole cloves
plenty of beef stock
salt
black pepper
kitchen string

Method:
Score the meat with a sharp knife in three places and stick in each one a clove of garlic. Tie the meat up firmly with the string and season well with salt and pepper.

In a large pot warm 2 tbsp of the oil in medium to high heat and sauté the meat to brown well on all sides.

In another pot warm the rest of the oil in medium heat and sauté the celery, the carrots and the onions along with the cloves. Turn the heat to low, season with salt and pepper and leave them to cook slowly for about 20 minutes. Add some warm water if it is needed. After the 20 minutes add the wine and the tomatoes and continue simmering for another 15 minutes.

Then pass the tomato sauce through a fine sieve and pour it over the meat (in the large pot) and cook in very low heat for at least 2 hours, turning the meat frequently. If it is needed during the cooking, add some warm beef stock.

When the cooking is finished switch off the heat and leave the meat with the sauce to settle for half an hour. Discard the string and cut the meat into slices.

You can serve it along with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables which you can lightly sauté in some butter.