This is a rather fragrant stew using ingredients that are more often used with lamb, but give delicious results with beef too. If you wish you could also add a small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, at the same time as the butternut squash to give some pleasant warmth to the dish too.

Serving it over wide ribbons of papardelle, or with penne, pasta it will also go a long way and a quantity of beef that would usually feed 4 in a stew will satisfy 6 over pasta. If pasta doesn’t appeal it would certainly be at home over couscous or pilaf - but I can’t say that I’d fancy it with potatoes!

Ingredients - serves 4 - 6

600g diced beef, or diced braising
250g small shallots, peeled and left whole
1 tbsp plain flour
4 whole cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp sultanas
500ml bouillon or beef stock
salt, pepper
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
500g penne pasta, or similar
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced

Method

1 Toss the diced beef in the flour then heat the oil in a casserole and brown the shallots and diced beef until browned - this will take 4-5 minutes over a high heat and you may have to do it in batches. Now sprinkle over the ground coriander, cloves and some salt with a goodly grinding of black pepper and fry for a further 30 seconds.

2 Add the cinnamon stick, stock and sultanas and bring the pot to the boil, now lower to a bare simmer and cook gently for an hour, stirring occasionally so that the flour doesn’t cook onto the base of the pan. Now add diced butternut squash, fold in and cook for a further half an hour by which time the meat will be tender. While it cooks on, fry off the strips of red pepper in a little olive oil to colouring at the edges and tender - set them aside. Cook the pasta so that it will be ready at the same time as the hot pot.

3 Finish by adding the red wine vinegar, taste and adjust seasoning, serve over pasta in warmed bowls and dress with pepper strips and a twist of nutmeg.