Tuscan peppery beef stew (Peposo all'imprunetina)

1. Cut the beef shin into 4-5 cm cubes, leaving on the sinewy parts - they give the sauce its gelatinous body.

2. Put the meat, the peeled whole garlic cloves, the coarsely crushed (not ground!) black pepper and the salt into a heavy pot, ideally terracotta or cast iron.

3. Pour in enough red wine to cover completely and bring slowly to the boil, uncovered.

4. Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat (or in the oven at 150 °C) for 3.5-4 hours, stirring every hour; if the wine reduces too much, top up with a little water or wine.

5. It's ready when the meat can be crushed with a fork and the sauce is dark, thick and glossy; taste at the end and add salt if needed.

6. Toast the bread slices, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, place them in the bottom of the plates and spoon the stew over.

Tip: Legend has it that the kiln workers of Impruneta, who made the tiles for Florence Cathedral's dome, cooked it at the mouth of their kilns - the heaps of pepper made even poor-quality meat tasty.