My recipes are always a bit on the random side so feel free to take all kinds of chances with this one.

Ingredients:
Enough braising steak to feed everybody (about half a pound per head).
1 bottle Valpolicella wine (Merlot works as well but Valpolicella makes the meat taste smoky).
Seasoning.

Marinade the steak in half the red wine overnight if possible, but for a minimum of three hours anyhow. Take it out of the wine, and put it in a very hot frying pan for a minute per side to seal the meat.

Put all the meat into a fairly flat dish and cover with the rest of the red wine - add water if any is left uncovered.

Bung in oven at 175c for about two hours, with the top sealed with either greaseproof paper or foil. When the cooking time is finished, take the meat out of the wine, add a little cornflour mixed with water to the juices, and heat in a pan until thickened for the sauce.

This is fantastic served with roast potatoes, and vegetables, or with salad and baby new potatoes in herb butter.

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