DAILY DINNERS

Ideally the meat needs to be in about 1cm dice, so cut it smaller if necessary. Put the meat into a non-corrosive bowl, mix well and leave for at least 4 hours.

Place a sieve over a bowl, tip the meat into it and set to one side. Put the marinade juices into a saucepan and simmer for about 10 mins until reduced by half. Set aside too.

To prepare the ragu, put the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and gently sauté onions and celery until soft and transparent. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate. Brown the meat in the pan, in batches, transferring each batch to the plate with the onion mixture. When all is done, put everything back in the pan and add the reduced wine marinade. Cook for 1 min, then add the tomato purée. Cook for a further minute, then add the stock and herbs and simmer for about 1½ - 2h, over a very low heat, until the meat is tender. Season, then keep the ragu warm while you cook the pasta.

Put at least 3 litres of water in the pan, add a pinch of salt and when the water is cooking fast, add the pasta. When the pasta is tender, drain it, reserving a couple of tbsp of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the ragu along with the reserved cooking liquid and simmer for a minute. Serve, scattering the parsley and the saved Parmesan over the dish.