Beef in Red Wine

• 1 kg boneless braising beef in one piece, 7500 ml bottle tannic red wine, 60 ml brandy, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 carrots, 2 bay leaves, 3 ribs celery, 1 5 inch sprig rosemary, 1 tsp whole black peppercorns, 1/2 cinnamon stick
  3 ltr heavy flameproof casserole with a lid, combine the beef, wine, brandy, 4 tbsp of the olive oil, the carrots, the bay leaves, celery, rosemary, crushed peppercorns and cinnamon stick.
• 4 whole cloves, 2 medium onions
  Stick a clove into each of the onion halves and add to the casserole.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours. Turn the meat form time to time.
• At least 2 hours before cooking the meat, remove the casserole from the refrigerator to bring the mat to room temperature.
• Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Pour the marinade into another container and reserve.
• Rinse and dry the casserole.
• 3 tbsp olive oil
  Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the casserole and heat the oil over a moderately high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the beef and brown evenly on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  Season the beef generously with salt and pepper.
• Add the marinade to the casserole. Bring it to a simmer, then reduce heat to very low and cover. Simmer gently for about 3 hours until the beef is fork tender.
• Turn the meat from time to time, and do not let much of the liquid evaporate. You should have about 250ml of liquid remaining for the sauce.

To Serve

• Transfer the beef to a carving board. Cut the beef against the grain into thick slices and transfer the slices, slightly overlapping them, to a warmed serving dish. Cover with foil and keep warm.
• Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-meshed sieve and discard the solids. Return the liquid to the casserole, taste for seasoning and, if necessary, boil until reduced to 250ml.
• Spoon the sauce over the beef and serve immediately
• Alternatively the beef may be sliced and refrigerated for one more day long with the sauce. Simply reheat at serving time.