Instructions

1. Preheat the slow cooker to high heat
2. Heat half of the butter in a frying pan and brown the meat, placing one layer of meat in the pan at a time.
3. Transfer the browned meat to the slow cooker dish.
4. Add the onion and garlic to the pan with the remaining butter and fry gently until the onion is soft.
5. Add the tomato passata, wine and wine vinegar and stir to dislodge any cooked-on bits on the base of the pan. Pour the juices over the meat in the slow cooker dish.
6. Stir in the bay leaf, spices and sugar and season with salt and pepper.
7. When the dish starts to simmer, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 1 hour
8. Meanwhile, remove the tops and roots from the onions. Cut a cross into the root ends to stop the centres popping out during cooking. Place the onions in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 2 minutes, then drain and slip off the skins. After soaking in hot water the skins will now slip off easily. If using larger onions, simply remove the outer skin and cut into quarters.
9. Add the onions to the slow cooker along with the currants and cook for a further 1.5 hours or until the meat and onions are tender and the sauce is thick.
10. Remove the cinnamon bark along with the remainder of the bay leaf and cloves.
11. Serve with mashed potato or pilaff (and a good glass of red wine).