You can’t cook with wine and not have a glass yourself! This red wine veal with rigatoni is the perfect dish to make on a lazy Sunday afternoon while sipping on a glass of red (or white), surrounded by your guests.

SERVES 4–6 // COOKING TIME 2 hours 30 min

INGREDIENTS
500 g stewing beef
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp flour
½ tsp black pepper
2 cups red wine
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
5 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped or 2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to serve
2 bay leaves
2–3 cups beef stock
500 g rigatoni
Microherbs, to garnish

METHOD
1. Brown the veal in olive oil over medium-high heat. Turn frequently to ensure even browning on all sides.
2. Add the onions and cook for 2–3 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add the celery, carrots and garlic, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with flour and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the wine, tomatoes, thyme, tomato paste, parsley, bay leaves and enough stock to cover the meat.
6. Reduce the heat to low, cover loosely, and simmer for 2 hours. The sauce will thicken as water evaporates during cooking. If it becomes too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock.
7. Once the veal is cooked, shred the meat with two forks.
8. Cook the rigatoni until al dente, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C.
9. Toss together the rigatoni and cooked veal in an ovenproof dish or pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
10. Serve garnished with microherbs.