Using a large knife or a “mezzaluna”, chop the onion and parsley. Heat the oil slightly in an earthenware pot, add the chopped onion and parsley, and the beef cut into pieces. Cook over a medium heat, stirring continuously, until the meat has browned; add some salt, the whole cloves and the tablespoon of “drogo”. Stir with a wooden spoon and pour in the wine; turn up the heat and let it evaporate. When it has all been absorbed, add the hot broth a little at a time; in the first ladle that you add, dissolve the tomato paste. As the broth is absorbed, gradually add more. Leave to cook over a low heat for 4 hours; before turning off the heat, season with salt to taste and sprinkle with plenty of freshly ground pepper. The lengthy cooking process requires patience, but the result will compensate you, mouthful after mouthful, thanks to the tenderness of the meat, the aroma of spices pervading your nose and palate, and the mouthwatering sauce in the bottom of the dish... nobody will be able to resist the temptation of mopping it up with a slice of bread! This stew is a typical dish from San Giovanni Valdarno, a town in the Arno valley, not far from the Fattoria; for the town’s inhabitants, more than a mere recipe it’s almost a ritual! Traditionally, it’s prepared every Sunday during the carnival period in the rooms below the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in the historic town centre; here large tables are set up and this exquisite, traditional dish is served. The spices, known as the “drogo”, are what makes the recipe unique; in fact, the mixture can only be bought in one of the town’s shops, where the recipe has been a closely guarded secret for many years. The housewives of San Giovanni adjust the quantities of the ingredients, some of which a little mysterious, to personalise the “drogo” and therefore their stew. For this recipe, we called on the help of our friend Carla, a native of San Giovanni Valdarno and a great expert on the “stufato”.