1.5kg beef short rib (5 – 6 bones)

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large head of garlic, cut in half with skin on

1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste

750ml red wine

3-4 cups beef stock

250g Portabellini or chestnut mushrooms, halved

400g thick cut bacon, sliced into lardons about ½ cm thick

a handful of fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Slice the beef short rib, between the bones. Season well with salt and pepper.

Place a large metal roasting tray on a high heat on the stove. When it is very hot, pour in the olive oil.

Sear the beef short rib in the olive oil, bone side up first. Turn it regularly; making sure it is nicely browned on all sides.

Add the garlic to the tray, with the sliced side down, and brown it well.

Stir in the tomato paste, mixing it into the beef and cooking it out until it starts to brown slightly.

Pour the red wine into the tray and bring it up to the boil. Reduce its volume by half.

Add enough beef stock to the tray so that the meat is an inch deep in liquid. Bring it up to the boil and turn off the heat.

Cover the tray with foil, making sure that it is tightly closed, and pop into the oven for 2 ½ hours. The meat is done when it is soft and almost falling off the bone.

{“For the garnish”=>”10 minutes before the meat is ready heat a frying pan on the stove and add the bacon lardons. Fry the bacon until it is crispy and add the mushrooms to the pan. Fry them together for a few minutes, and set aside.”}

Remove the beef from the oven. Using tongs, place the cooked beef short rib pieces on a platter.

Strain the liquid through a sieve into a bowl, making sure to push all of the soft garlic through too. Season the sauce and pour it carefully over the beef.

Spoon the crispy bacon and mushrooms over the beef and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley.