This makes a welcome change to the usual Sunday roast - unless of course you do enjoy your beef pink. I do too but occasionally a slow roasted joint is rather comforting.It has the opportunity to become very tender, takes up the flavours of both herbs and vegetables, and produces an intensely rich sauce.

To carry on with the Italian theme, without resorting to pasta, have mash made with olive oil instead of butter. Add to that some slivers of black olive and chopped flat leaf parsley and you have the perfect accompaniment to make the most of that delicious sauce. The vegetables added to the pot will have all but disintegrated, apart from the shallots, over the cooking time and you may also be inclined to serve with some fine beans or lightly cooked greens.

Ingredients - serves 6

1.5 kg beef roasting joint (rump or topside are ideal)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
12 shallots, peeled
3 carrots, cut into small dice
3 sticks celery, cut into small dice
1 leek trimmed and chopped
3 bay leaves
large sprig rosemary
sprig of thyme
300ml red wine
300ml beef stock or bouillon
1 tbsp tomato purée
salt, pepper
olive oil

6 large potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks
100g black olives, stoned & finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2-3 tbsp olive oil

Method

Pre heat the oven to 150°C
Season the beef and brown on all sides in a casserole in a little olive oil and at a high heat, remove to a warm plate. Lower the heat a little and add the chopped vegetables, shallots and garlic and brown gently for a few minutes in the oil. Stir in the tomato purée and then pour in the red wine and stock. Bring to the boil, stirring as you do, then return the beef to the pot and lower the heat.

Tie together the herbs into a bouquet garni and add to the pot before putting the lid on and
transferring to the oven. Cook the roast for about 3 hours at this gentle heat then remove the beef and vegetables to a warm plate to rest. (About half an hour before the end of cooking time prepare and cook your potatoes and vegetable accompaniments). Remove the bouquet garni from the sauce and discard, sieve if you wish, and reduce down to about a third of the original liquid quantity. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

As the pot roast reaches the final 1/2 hour of cooking time, boil sthe potatoes in salted water, mash together with olive oil and fold in the black olives and chopped parsley.

Slice the beef and serve on warmed plates with a scoop of olive mash, vegetables, shallots, a clove of garlic and some of the red wine sauce.