Using a pointed knife, make evenly spaced holes about 2 cm deep into the meat block. Insert cloves, thin slices of garlic, and pieces of bacon into these holes. Once prepared, soak the meat completely in vinegar overnight. The vinegar will not be used in the cooking process (though it can be saved for another Pasticada).

Pour about half a finger’s height of oil into a pot and brown the meat slowly on all sides. If the meat starts sticking or runs out of juice, add a little bouillon or hot water and continue roasting. Once browned on all sides, remove the meat. In the same pot, sauté the minced onions. Then add the prune, a pinch of grated nutmeg, pepper, salt, and Dalmatian prosecco with a large spoon of tomato paste dissolved in it. Bring the sauce to a boil.

Add the meat back to the pot along with enough bouillon or hot water to just cover it. Use a pot that closely fits the meat block to avoid diluting the sauce. Cook over low heat for 2–3 hours until the meat is nearly tender. Remove the meat and strain the sauce. Slice the meat into 1 cm thick pieces, return it to the sauce, and cook for another 30 minutes until very tender.

Serve with gnocchi or wide noodles (reginette) and grated Parmesan.

Tips: To reduce vinegar usage, you can soak only half the meat block, turning it occasionally. Instead of 1 dL of Dalmatian prosecco, 1 dL of red wine with 2 small spoons of sugar can be used. The sauce should be thick and dark brown. If it’s too thin or pale, roast finely sieved bread crumbs in oil until dark brown, add a spoon of tomato paste, lightly roast together, and incorporate into the sauce at least 30 minutes before the end of cooking.