• Chop the onion and the carrots. Cut the beef into chunks approximately the size of a ping-pong ball.
• Saute' the carrots, onion and whole clove of garlic in olive oil until the onion is translucent.
• Add the meat and brown on all sides.
• At this point, to make the sauce richer, you can add 1 cup of red wine and let it boil off.
• Add all the other ingredients, except the potatoes.  Add water until the meat is covered.
• Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately two hours, until the meat starts to fall apart. Stir occasionally and top up the water if the stew is becoming dry.  Add the potatoes, cut into chunks, after 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn up the heat and boil to reduce the liquid.
• This dish is best made a day or two before it is eaten to let the flavours develop.

If you have a pressure cooker

• Follow the instructions until number 5.  Close the pressure cooker and let cook for 30 minutes from the whistle. Take the lid off and add the potatoes, then close the lid and cook for a further 15 minutes.