Dalmatian beef pot roast with prunes (Pašticada)

1. Pierce the beef topside deeply in several places with a sharp, narrow knife and push strips of bacon and pieces of garlic into the slits. Salt it, put it in a dish, pour over the wine vinegar and enough water to half cover, then cover and chill overnight, turning once.

2. The next day, pat the meat dry and sear it hard on all sides in the olive oil in a heavy-based pan; lift it out.

3. In the same fat, soften the diced onion, carrot and parsley root for 10 minutes, then add the tomato purée, cloves, nutmeg and pepper and fry for 1-2 minutes.

4. Return the meat, pour in the red wine and about 300 ml of water, add half the prunes, cover and braise over low heat for 3 hours, turning now and then and topping up with a little water.

5. Lift out the meat, blend the sauce and vegetables until smooth, add the remaining prunes and reduce for 10 minutes; cut the meat into finger-thick slices and return them to the sauce.

6. Serve with homemade gnocchi or buttered pasta and plenty of sauce – in Dalmatia this is the dish for holidays and weddings.

Tip: Pašticada is even better the next day, so feel free to make it a day ahead. The traditional recipe also adds a little prošek (sweet dessert wine) to the sauce – prunes and a drop of honey give a similar depth.