Wintry beef stew

This has been adapted from the Jamie's Dinners book. Perfect for this time of year and we basically throw in any veggies which we can find. It also has the advantage that once it's in the oven you can pretty much leave it.

Best served with fresh, crusty bread.

Serves 4-5

1 onion, peeled and chopped
Handful fresh (or dry) sage leaves
800g stewing steak cut into 2 inch pieces
seasoned flour to dust
2 parsnips, peeled and quarted
4 carrots, peeled and halved
1/2 butternut, halved deseeded and diced (this is the only veg we consider almost essential to the recipe)
optional: handful of Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and halved
2tbsps tomato purée
1/2 bottle red wine
285ml beef or veg stock
zest of 1 lemon
a handful of fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat oven to 160C/gas 2. Put a little oil and a knob of butter into a big pot or casserole. Add the onion and sage and fry for 3-4 mins. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add to the pan with all the veggies, tomato purée, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground pepper and just a little salt. Bring to the boil, place lid on top, then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender (this can take 3 to 4 hours, so you will need to check at the end of the cooking time). If you need to hold it once it's cooked you can just turn the oven right down until you're ready.

When you're ready to serve, sprinkle the top with lemon zest and chopped rosemary.