6 tablespoons olive oil
6 (9-ounce) slices beef for stewing (I used a 4lb. chuck roast)
Salt
1 large red onion, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I used about 1/4 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
3 thyme sprigs

Preheat the oven to 350F. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven and fry the beef until deep golden on both sides. Salt each side as it’s done. Remove the beef and set aside. Add the rest of the olive oil (3 tablespoons) and saute the onion until softened. Add the wine and cook until it has almost evaporated. Add the crushed tomatoes and the paste, the cinnamon and parsley, and season with a little salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes, smoothing out any big bits of tomato with a wooden spoon. Scrape over the beef. Fill the tomato can with water and add this to the pot. Add the thyme, cover with the lid and bake for about 2 hours, turning the meat a couple of times. Add an extra 1/2 cup of water, then bake for 30 minutes more. At the end of this time, the beef should be very tender and the sauce thick and jammy but abundant. If necessary, add a little hot water toward the end. Remove from the oven and serve. Note: I cooked my roast for 2 hours covered and realized that the sauce wasn’t getting as jammy as I’d like it to. I removed the lid and cooked it for at least another hour and the sauce did achieve a jam-like consistency. Next time I might cook the roast uncovered for the entire time and see what happens.