Mix the minced beef with plenty of salt and pepper, 2 tbsp of the Parmesan, the breadcrumbs, 2 eggs, the chopped parsley and a tiny amount of stock to bind it all together.

Shape these into tiny meatballs - ideally no larger than big olives.

Bring the stock to the boil and simmer the little meatballs in the stock for no more than 3 minutes. Take off the heat and cool.

Mix the remaining Parmesan into the ricotta, the remaining 3 eggs, salt and pepper and the ground cloves. Shape this mixture into balls the same size as the meatballs. This will only work if the ricotta is really dry and stiff. If the mixture is too sloppy, add soft white breadcrumbs and Parmesan to the mix until you can shape it into little balls with reasonable ease.

Pre heat the oven to Gas mark 6/400 F/200 C.

Pour a little stock into the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Cover with a layer of the ricotta balls, then with a layer of meatballs.

Cover with more stock and continue in this way until all the ingredients have been used up. Place in the oven and bake for about 5 minutes before serving.

Hints and tips: do make sure the ricotta is very dry and crumbly, and that the beef is very lean to prevent extra moisture from penetrating the dish.